Some conditions, such as pregnancy or breastfeeding, can temporarily increase the need for dietary iron. A deficiency is rare but can occur in newborns, who are typically given a vitamin K injection at birth to prevent a deficiency. Anti-inflammatory medications, like steroids (used to treat conditions such as asthma, hives, psoriasis and allergies), can also cause easy bruising, thanks to their skin-thinning effects. “As you age, your skin becomes thinner and you start to lose some of the fat on your body that would otherwise act as protection against injury,” Dr. Johnston says. “Both of these conditions make you more susceptible to developing bruises.” Older people are much more susceptible to bruising easily, too, because skin becomes thinner and blood vessels become weaker as we age.

• In conclusion, while alcohol itself does not directly cause bruising, it can indirectly contribute to its occurrence.
• However, discolorations can also be caused by bleeding disorders or other rare medical conditions.
• My compassion, resilience, empathy, wisdom, knowledge, experience and  love I have for this forgotten population goes beyond words.

Treatment for Alcoholic Neuropathy

That vasodilation also happens to be responsible for the flushed sensation of heat you sometimes get in your face when you drink. A boxed warning is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If your doctor confirms you’ve had a mild allergic reaction to Plavix, they’ll decide whether you should continue taking it. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.) Plavix comes as a tablet you swallow. By Kelly BurchBurch is a New Hampshire-based freelance health writer with a bachelor’s degree in communications from Boston University.

What Is the Treatment for Random Bruising?

In this case, you should go see your doctor to find out what’s going on. A doctor can perform tests to see whether a person has a vitamin deficiency. In other cases, an underlying health condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease, may need addressing. They may also develop large bruises after can drinking cause bruising minor injuries or have bruises that take many weeks to heal. Topical and systemic corticosteroids can be used to treat various conditions, including allergies, asthma and eczema. Certain dietary supplements, such as ginkgo biloba, also can increase bruising risk due to a blood-thinning effect.

Low Blood Platelets

However, easy bruising can sometimes be a sign of a more serious problem. If you’re experiencing easy bruising, you might have questions about what’s causing it and what you can do about it. Find out what role aging plays and when to consult a health care provider. The liver can usually repair itself and generate new cells. However, in advanced alcoholic liver disease, liver regeneration is impaired, resulting in permanent damage to the liver.

• Even though most people with VWD are born with the condition, it often remains undiagnosed until adulthood, as symptoms tend to be mild.
• Talk with your healthcare provider about all medicines you’re taking and whether they’re safe.
• Especially if you have been drinking heavily for many years, coping with alcohol use disorder is not easy.
• However, even a mild disorder can escalate and lead to serious problems, so early treatment is important.

If you bump part of your body hard enough, you can break tiny blood vessels under your skin. But if you don’t break the skin, the blood has nowhere to go. It gets trapped under the skin’s surface, causing a bruise.

• But when you bruise, your vessels are literally injured or broken in a sense, and blood pools around those vessels and rises to the skin.
• Finally, alcoholics may have a deficiency of vitamin C, which is important for healing wounds.
• After your injury, put an ice pack on it every once in a while for the first hours.
• However, if the disease progresses, it is often not reversible.
• “If bruising becomes really common, if it’s not provoked, or if there’s a change in your bruising patterns, get it checked out,” López says.
• Anti-seizure medications are sometimes prescribed as a way to manage pain.
• Signs of a blood clot include redness and swelling that gets worse over time and pain in the limb.

Especially if you have been drinking heavily for many years, coping with alcohol use disorder is not easy. But with the proper resources to help, you are better set up for success with sobriety. Constant pain in the hands or feet is one of the most bothersome aspects of alcoholic neuropathy. The pain can feel like burning, throbbing, or sharp pins and needles.

Do older adults bruise more easily?