A bruise is an injury appearing as an area of discolored skin on the body or face, caused by a blow or injection puncturing underlying blood vessels.
I’m a bruiser! I always say Dr. Miller only has to do is look at me with a syringe and I bruise. When I get injections, it isn’t if I get a bruise but when, however, I have found a few things that help me cut down on the bruising time.
- Stop taking medications and supplements with blood thinning effects 2 weeks prior to injections. For example:
- NSAID-Advil, Motrin, naproxen, ibuprofen
- Supplements- St. John’s Wort, garlic, turmeric, vitamin E,
- Chia seeds, ginkgo biloba, flaxseed oil and
- other oils high in omega 3
- Talk to your doctor before stopping any prescription medications.
- Eliminate alcohol 24 hours before and after treatment. Alcohol can cause those blood vessels to relax and open, which can trigger bruising.
- Take Arnica and Bromelain before and after treatment. Arnica Montana is a perennial flowering plant and Bromelain is a pineapple extract that helps treat the swelling and bruising. I usually start both the Arnica and Bromelain 3 days before and continue 4 days after injections.
- Apply ice packs to the treated area during and after treatment. Risk of bruising and swelling can be reduced.
- Avoid vigorous exercise for at 24 hours after treatment. Exercise will increase heart rate and blood flow which can cause more bruising at the injection site.
- We can also laser the bruise! The laser can break up the hemoglobin which can help the bruise go away sooner.
Bruising with injections is always a factor, but these steps can help those bruises to go away more quickly and in some cases prevented.
