Monday, February 17, 2014
BRUISING! auugghhh
Whether you have just had a procedure, injections or….by some series of unfortunate events like…oh….say bending down to stuff your belongings in a locker without realizing someone stealthily came up and opened THEIR locker which happens to be the one above yours. Then standing up and crashing your forehead into their locker door. (That’s NEVER happened to me. OK. It’s happened once. Okkkkkaayyyyy. Twice. Lesson learned!)
Bruising is the unfortunate risk we take as injection and cosmetic patients! (Or, those who are garden variety accident proned.)
One of the number one questions and concerns patients asks is: Will I bruise?
We sure hope not!!! Rest assured, as providers, we try with all our effort NOT to bruise a patient! Like you, we too absolutely do not dig walking around purple and blue..trying to think up a good story about how we got it that bruise!
True story-
I had some filler injected in my cheeks about a year ago. I had ‘slightly’ over massaged meaning I was supposed to massage to 20 minutes not 3 hours….(hey, just because you know better doesn’t mean you can’t go overboard!) I gave myself a pretty good shiner.
Just so happens, it was thunderstorm season in Texas. My central alarm system had been on the fritz since Friday’s thunderstorm (the day I gave myself the black eye) and was acting all quirky. I had our security system guy out to fix it Saturday.
Well, Sunday afternoon-after my shiner was nice and ripe, another T-storm hit. I had just gotten out of the shower when the doorbell rang. NO makeup, T-shirt, wet hair. I wasn’t answering the door looking like that! My daughter comes into my bedroom and says “Mom, there are, like, 3 police cars and an ambulance outside!”
So, I answer the door (forgetting what I look like, of course! I thought there was an emergency!) The cop says “Ma’am, we got a silent distress call from your alarm.” I go, “OH MY GOSH! The electrical storms must have set my central alarm off again! I just had the company out to fix it yesterday!”
He gives me a very slow ‘once over’ and then quietly said “Ma’am. Nod your head if you need us to come inside….we will. DO YOU NEED HELP?” as he unsnaps the button from his gun holster. Then it hit me! OMG! The shiner!!! I started talking and the more excuses I gave the more farfetched I sounded! I was like “OH! This! I DID IT TO MYSELF! IT WAS MY FAULT! I WAS RUBBING A VIBRATOR ON MY FACE *wait-that won’t make sense to him* I PROBABLY FELL DOWN THE STAIRS OR HIT MY HEAD ON A LOCKER! IT WASN’T MY HUSBAND! HE LOVES ME, HE REALLY LOVES ME!”
Yikes. Thankfully, we got all that worked out. It WAS the electrical storm BTW. Point being, we can help you avoid or minimize bruising and save you from THAT whole explaining to cops fiasco. *Shout out to Denton PD. Had I actually been in trouble, ya’ll would have handled it amazingly!*
How we wish there was some magical pill we could give our patients prior to an injection to prevent this or there was some technique that was 100% “bruise-proof”!
In any procedure or anything where a needle is involved then a chance of bruising is reality. We hope to shed some light on what bruises are and then offer various tips collected over the years on how to decrease the chances of getting one as well as how to make them go away faster!
A bruise, also called a contusion or a hematoma, is nothing more than bleeding that occurs under your skin or in the soft tissue beneath it. The bleeding occurs because of trauma which have caused a blood vessel to break. The blood has nowhere to go and gets trapped under the skin.
There are three types of bruises: Subcutaneous bruises that occur beneath the skin, intermuscular bruises that occur inside the muscle, and periosteal bruises that occur on the surface of the bone.
Think of a bruise as just a blood stain left in the tissues due to a blood vessel leaking. The closer the broken blood vessels are to the surface, the sooner the bruise appears, and the more intense its colors will be.
As a bruise heals, it changes color until it disappears. Bruises ‘typically’ follow a progression of colors as they heal: from a reddish blush, to a gradually darkening blue or purple, followed by green, and finally a yellow-brown color and can take from 7 days to heal up to several months for large ones. They will last longer the older we get.
Treatment of Injection Type Bruises: The first step is to apply a little pressure followed by a cold pack, but not for more than 15 minutes at a time. The cold will numb the discomfort and slow down the bleeding.
After two days, you can begin to apply heat. This speeds recovery by increasing circulation in the affected area.
Begin taking Arnica Orally if a bruise occurs. You can buy this at any health food or nutritional store under the name Arnica Montana. You can also purchase topical Arnica in a gel or cream if you want to double up on the recovery time.
When it comes to any of the following tips please keep in mind these are just suggestions. If anything is contraindicated by your doctor or causes irritation or just doesn't work for your schedule, then by all means DON'T DO IT! Use your best judgment and let's hope you never get a bruise or, if happens, it goes away quickly!
1. If Possible, prior to your procedure, begin taking the pineapple bark supplement Bromelain approximately 2000 mcgs per day up to two weeks prior to injections. This will help a bruise to go away faster if one occurs. It also decreases inflammation in the body.
2. If Possible Avoid Alcohol, Aspirin and Ibuprofen (example Motrin) at least three days prior to procedure/injection day.
3. If possible, avoid taking any supplement or pills known to increase bleeding times up to two weeks prior to injections. (Google search on your own for the big ones as there are many). Of course if you cannot due to health reasons or forget, do not give this much concern as we will do the best we can to avoid a bruise altogether.
4. If a bruise develops, immediately apply a cold pack to the bruise in 15 minute increments for the first 24 hour to 48 hours. The cold will help prevent the spread of the bleeding and the stain that the blood is causing to the tissues. Cold packs can also be applied if swelling and tenderness occur.
5. If a bruise develops, begin taking Arnica supplements sublingually (under the tongue) twice a day for the next 5 to 7 days.
6. Apply Arnica Cream with Vitamin K immediately and up to three times a day over bruise and until bruise disappears. Make sure to wipe the area clean and apply over the site before any other creams or serums.
7. After 24 hours you can begin to take Aspirin or Ibuprofen to help keep the blood on the thin side and thus help the body move out the bruise stain.
8. After approximately 24 to 48 hours you can begin to apply warm packs. The thought behind this is to try and increase circulation to help decrease the dark color by moving out the blood left in the tissues. Examples: warm tea bags; make a hard boiled egg and gently roll over the area until the egg cools; warm wash cloth.
9. Another tip shared in a beauty magazine is to apply a topical cream or ointment that warms the skin such as Mentholatum, or Vick's Vapor Rub. Apply a medium layer up to three times a day and gently massage over bruise. If it is an area you can cover with a band aid or soft gauze this will help seal it in and work even better. Be careful applying near the eye as may cause irritation to the eye due to the fumes from the menthol. Again, use your best judgment and avoid if bothers you.
10. Another successful tip shared from a dentist is to apply toothpaste such as Crest Whitening over a bruise overnight instead of Metholatum or Vick's Vapor Rub.
Reminder: IF YOU PURCHASED ARNICA CREAM W/VIT K, apply this BEFORE the Mentholatum or Vicks or Toothpaste for additional absorption and healing of the stain.
• I cannot repeat this enough to please use your best judgment and avoid any tip or suggestion contraindicated by your doctor or that which conflicts with your medical health history, causes and allergy or skin irritation. These are simply tips offered with the sole intent to help you get through those unfortunate times where a bruise occurs due to an injection. Whenever I hear of a new one I will be sure to update for you!
Hope we gave you some great tips!
After all,
HOW OLD YOU ARE IS YOUR BUSINESS, HOW OLD YOU LOOK IS OURS!
Hasta Luego Ned,
Michelle, Nancy and Laurie
THE SKIN GURUS
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