When should you see a doctor about easy bruising?

A bruise forms when small blood vessels leak beneath the skin after an injury, sometimes one too minor to remember. New easy bruising can be related to medicines, alcohol use, fragile skin, or changes in blood cells and clotting. Anaemia may cause tiredness and paleness, while conditions affecting bone marrow or platelets can present with bruising alongside nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or tiny red-purple spots. A bruise alone does not identify a serious condition.

Photograph changing bruises and note when they appeared, their locations, possible knocks, and whether they are painful. List prescription medicines, non-prescription pain relievers, supplements, and alcohol intake. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without advice. Mention recent fever, infection, weight change, tiredness, night sweats, or bleeding elsewhere. A clinician may examine your skin and request blood tests.

Seek emergency care for bleeding that will not stop with firm pressure, vomiting or coughing blood, black stools, severe weakness, fainting, confusion, or a severe headache after an injury. Get prompt assessment for rapidly spreading bruises, many pinpoint spots, bleeding from several sites, or bruising with fever. Children with unexplained bruising should be assessed, particularly when they seem unwell or have other bleeding.

Ask whether medicines, nutrition, liver health, platelets, red blood cells, or clotting need review. Ask which tests are appropriate, whether family history matters, and what bleeding or bruising changes should prompt urgent contact.