Easy bruising

Category: Skin, Hair & Nails · All skin symptoms

What it can feel like

Easy bruising means bruises appear after minor knocks you barely remember, are unusually large, or appear in unusual places such as the back, face or trunk. Bruising reflects blood leaking from small vessels; its ease depends on vessel fragility, platelets, clotting factors and medicines.

Possible causes

A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Common causes

Easy bruising can be associated with ageing and sun-damaged skin (thin, fragile vessel support), bumps and unnoticed minor trauma, alcohol, and medicines — aspirin, blood thinners, steroids and some antidepressants all increase bruising.

Other possible causes

Easy bruising can also be associated with low platelets or platelet problems, liver disease reducing clotting factor production, vitamin deficiencies, and occasionally bone-marrow or blood conditions — particularly when bleeding joins in elsewhere.

Red flags — when to seek help promptly

Bruising with bleeding gums, nosebleeds, blood in urine or stool, or heavy periods
Pinpoint red or purple spots (petechiae) that do not fade under pressure, especially with fever
Very large or painful bruises without injury, or bruising in a young child who is not yet mobile
Bruising with unexplained weight loss, night sweats or feeling generally unwell

What a clinician may do

A clinician will map the bruising pattern, review medicines and alcohol, and examine for other bleeding signs. Blood tests include a blood count, clotting screen and liver function; results direct whether haematology assessment is needed.

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Frequently asked questions

Why do older people bruise so easily?

Ageing skin loses the collagen cushion around its small vessels, and sun exposure accelerates it — so minor shears tear vessels that once were protected. These flat, dark purple patches on the forearms and hands (senile purpura) are a skin-fragility problem, not usually a blood problem.

When is bruising a blood problem?

When the pattern breaks the rules: bruises without trauma in protected places, very large bruises, or bleeding in several systems at once (gums, nose, urine, periods). That combination points at platelets or clotting and earns blood tests promptly.

Related symptoms — Skin, Hair & Nails

A mole that has changed A new lump under the skin A sore that does not heal Dry skin Flaky scalp (dandruff)Hair loss

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Please note: This page is educational information about a symptom. A symptom alone cannot diagnose any condition, and the causes listed here are possibilities, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about a symptom — especially one that is new, severe, getting worse or not going away — please see your own clinician, who can examine you and arrange tests. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.