Summary
When an area of the body is
strained or hit hard, the blood vessels
near the surface are broken and blood is lost into the
surrounding tissue forming what soon becomes a discolored
area called a bruise. Bruising may also occur with
some medical treatments or for some that bruise easily from
just a slight or unnoticed bump. A severe bruise may
include excess blood leakage that will cause the
discoloration to extend below the area of the injury as
gravity exerts its force. Bruising may also be
accompanied by swelling and pain from the injury.
A bruise or contusion is a subset of the general term
hematoma. A hematoma is any collection of blood outside a
blood vessel. They can be very tiny or large with
significant swelling and associated with any organ of the
body. Bruise refers to a hematoma where blood has
leaked out under the skin and gives the characteristic dark
discoloration of the area.
Bruising is more common in women and older adults.
For older adults this happens as the fat layer under the
skin decreases and the skin becomes thinner and not as
pliable. Minor bruising is not a serious problem but
if there is severe bruising after a blow or fall it may be
an indication of a more serious problem that needs
attention.
[search helps: hematoma,
contusion, ecchymosis, purpura, petechia]
Oils, blends & products
recommended:
Oils & Blends:
CypressC,
Deep BlueC, GeraniumC, HelichrysumEC, LavenderC, LemongrassC
Essential oils based
products:
Also consider:
FennelEC, MyrrhC, RosemaryC
Note: to
understand the E and C superscript go to Home and
scroll to New Helps.
Suggested protocols:
If the bruise (or hematoma) can be addressed immediately
Cypress and Lavender constricts the blood vessels and
relieves pain. Also the more quickly cold is applied to the area, the less
bruising there will be. Always protect the skin by not placing ice
directly on the area and do not leave it on the area
continuously. It is recommended that 15 minutes on and 15
minutes off is the most that ice should be applied.
After the first 6-24 hours when swelling has
stopped, the constriction of blood vessels should be
replaced with a method of increasing blood circulation to
heal and reduce the bruise more rapidly. Apply the
Helichrysum, 1 - 3 drops, neat every
few hours or for even better results use the blend below. Also
alternating hot and cold compresses with the essential
oils will speed the process.
Suggested blend:
•
5 drops Helichrysum
• 4
drops Lavender
• 3
drops Cypress
• 3
drops Lemongrass
• 3
drops Geranium
Experiences and Testimonials of others
Paul and Debbie -
When my husband bumps or scrapes (not breaking skin) his arm
on anything ... even just a little bit, he gets these awful
looking splotches. Almost like a bruise on the surface
of the skin, but not raised or full of blood like a blood
blister. His dad had the same thing with his skin in
his later years. Does anyone have any idea on what
this condition is called, what to do for it, or what to do
to strengthen his skin so it doesn't happen any more?
Pat - I know that getting the oils on
the area right away really helps, either White Fir or
Helichrysum. Also the supplements have helped my skin be a
lot tougher.
Nannette - The bruise blend suggested by
Dr. Sue Lawton is: Bruise Blend: (to strengthen capillaries
and speed reabsorbing of blood that had collected in tissue)
Big or little, deep or wide-it works! 5 drops Helichrysum,
4 drops Cypress, 3 drops Lavender, 3 drops Lemongrass, and 3
drops Geranium.
Pat22 - A couple of
weeks back I played paintball for the first time ever and
took a direct and legitimate hit on my upper thigh from a 20
foot distance. It hurt like heck -- and soon thereafter
bruised like heck! The attached picture 2012-07-11 shows
what my 'trophy bruise' looked like the day after playing
paint ball. I bruise VERY easily and my bruises usually take
forever to heal.
Since the paint ball hit, I have applied Deep Blue twice
daily to this bruise only, just to see if it would help it
heal faster than the many other bruises received during
paint ball or white water rafting (the types of activities
we were doing on this vacation). I don't have all of the
oils recommended for bruises, but Deep Blue had enough of
them that I thought I'd give it a try -- and I'm glad I did!
I used the roller with Deep Blue, rolled around once on the
bruise and then rubbed it in. Did this twice a day, morning
and night.
The second picture 2012-07-23 (where you can barely see a
bruise) is what my trophy bruise looked like last night, 12
days after the first picture. All of my other bruises are
still blue, yellow or green. This was by far the worst of
the multiple bruises on my body and would probably still be
hideous looking were it not for Deep Blue.
Sharon - Try Helichrysum next time if
you want even faster results! I wish I had a photo to share
but my daughter's knee looked like your bruise, the entire
knee was black and swollen, and on the second day after the
first application the black bruise was nothing but a thin
green/blue line around the outside. I have never seen
anything like it!
Cis - I was hit very hard on my
breastbone and soon the bruising had started. I too bruise
very easily, especially as I get older because the skin
becomes thinner. When I got home I immediately got the
Helichrysum, Fennel, Geranium, Frankincense, and Deep Blue
(for the pain) and put it on my breast bone area including
the lower part of my left breast. I did this twice a day in
the morning and evening for 5 days. And the bruise stayed a
very light yellow/green shade. My husband was amazed because
he was putting the oils on each day for me.
Maree - Does anyone
have any suggestions for a friend of mine that was attacked
by a bison in Yellowstone:( she has bad bruising and a
hematoma the size of a football in her knee?!
Pat – Use a blend of white fir,
helichrysum and lavender. Dillute it with some coconut oil
for easier spreading and repeat every couple of hours. (Also
Birch for pain and bruising if you have it available)
Julie Ann - Balance, Helichrysum,
Cypress and Peppermint. Took a goose egg size blood clot
(editor’s note: probably a hematoma) down on my mothers arm
that had me very concerned and even a little shaky...it was
close to her heart, brain (on back of upper arm). Worked
literal miracles within hours to take the black and blue
colors and swelling down. It is completely gone now and
everything is back to normal. Keep up the oils for weeks to
come. I had my mother applying them all day long and before
she went to bed.
Teressa - I use Peppermint for bruising!
It works great. I dropped a half size dutch oven pan
on my foot and the it immediately started to bruise. I
dumped Peppermint on it and not only did the bruising go
away, but the pain was quickly gone. The oven hit my
right foot then bounced and rolled on to my left foot.
My right foot injury seemed so sever, that I ignored the
left foot. The next morning my left foot had a bigger
bruise than my right one that I had put Peppermint on!!!
TaLaisa - My Mom has inherited very
droopy eyelids, they were sagging to the point of affecting
her vision. The eye doctor decided to do surgery, to lift
the eyelid. The timing was terrible. She is off track for
school but didn't have the allotted 6 weeks healing time to
recover before school started. She is diabetic and bruises
easily and bruises take months to go away. Needless to say
she was worried about the big black eyes she'd be sporting
for back to school night at the beginning of August.
I convinced her (lovingly, of course) to let me get her
some oils. I spoke to Tamalu, who gave me great suggestions
but also reminded and empowered me that I could help. The
minute my Mother got home from surgery I gave her Geranium,
deep blue and Lavender and told her to put them on at least
twice a day and as often as she felt like it. She's been
putting them on faithfully for the last eight days. One eye
is completely clear of bruising and the other eye is very
close. She has marveled at the fact that neither ever turned
that dark blue color that fades to yellow and ends up
traveling down the affected area. She told me that she's
also been putting the oil on the spots on her arm and hand
where they put in the IV line, fast healing on both areas as
well. It's really remarkable that what the doctor told her
took most average patience 6 weeks to heal from and may take
her twice as long, has progressed so rapidly toward nearly
healed in less than two short weeks.
Megan - Being TaLaisa's sister I have
been witness to this amazing recovery. I have been so
impressed and thrilled with the results I have been seeing
with the progress being made in my Mom's recovery!
Jessica - I have
two friends that recently had surgery. One of them has
severe bruising as a result, the other has scarring on her
shoulder. What oils are great for combating both
situations?
Carla - Birch works very well for
bruising. I have actually prevented bruising when I applied
it after crashing into a table in the middle of the night.
The real hero would be Helichrysum. I used it on my black
eye after an eye procedure. It is also amazing with
scarring. My sister had a neighbor use it on her had which
was crippled through scarring. She was able to regain use
in her hand.
Pat - Here are a couple of bruising
blends that work really well, don't forget to be consistent
and aggressive in applying these oils. One treatment will
not eliminate the bruising.
Blend #1:
•
5 drops Helichrysum
• 4
drops Lavender
• 3
drops Cypress
• 3
drops Lemongrass
• 3
drops Geranium
Blend #2:
•
6 drops Clove
• 3
drops Peppermint
• 2
drops Marjoram
• 4
drops Roman Chamomile
• 2
drops Geranium
• 2
drops Cypress
Helichrysum is especially beneficial in healing bruises
when applied neat on location. 1-3 drops on bruised area 2-5
times a day.
Ready, Set, Grow
