Bruising Easily - Is Unexplained Bruising A Problem?
Does Malnutrition Or Anorexia Explain Easy Bruising?

Bruising easily is a common symptom in people with eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. Sufferers probably can't tell you how they became black and blue. What appears to be 'unexplained' bruising is actually a cause for concern. There is usually an underlying reason for easy bruising, and it's not the result of a fall or anything similar.

At my sickest point during anorexia, one of the things I remember pretty clearly is how annoyed I would get from bruising easily. Most of the bruises appeared on my arms and legs, but occasionally I would see them on my torso.

It seemed like all someone had to do is give me feather-light touch and the area would turn color.

I'm sure most of us know that bruising is the result of broken blood vessels, which show up after we've bumped into something or fallen down accidentally.

Blood leaks into the surrounding tissues, and you start to see a little pinkish-red spot on your skin.

In my case, I didn't have to bump into anything. Bruises would just randomly show up on my body throughout the day, even if I wasn't doing anything strenuous. I found this very alarming, to say the least.

Obviously, a healthy amount of body fat will help cover the bones and protect vital organs in the body. However, in the advanced stages of weight loss (as in anorexia nervosa), there may not be enough to prevent the bones from damaging the skin, and therefore easy bruising will occur.

I mentioned this to both my doctor and my dietitian, and learned that there can be several different reasons for bruising easily, some of which are medical, but the leading cause of frequent - or so-called "unexplained bruising" - is actually due to one or more vitamin deficiencies.

Bruising Easily Due To Vitamin Deficiencies

In people with eating disorders, bruising easily is likely due to vitamin deficiencies, such as the lack of vitamin C and/or vitamin K in the diet. Vitamin E, bioflavonoids and zinc are also important.

Vitamin C stores can be depleted when the body tries to expel various allergens or drugs from our bodies - or by not eating enough of your fruits or veggies. Illness and smoking will definitely cause Vitamin C to be used up quite rapidly.

Rutin is a bioflavonoid that will help the body absorb Vitamin C. Both of these nutrients will go a long way to help prevent you from bruising easily.

Vitamin K is produced in the intestines, and helps absorb blood from the surrounding tissues. It works well as a treatment for bruises, but it can be depleted by some antibiotics.

There's lots of Vitamin K in green, leafy vegetables, and supplements are available if necessary. Vitamin K cream may aid in the healing bruises because of its ability to seal blood leakage.

Easy Bruising And Blood Disorders

Certain blood disorders, or even cancer, can be causes of easy bruising.

Hemophilia and a genetic disorder called Von Willebrand's Disease are bleeding disorders that will prevent the blood from clotting properly. This is very dangerous and typically requires a transfusion to correct.

Platelet and coagulation disorders can cause bruising. In platelet disorders, the platelet count is low, and therefore the blood won't clot. In coagulation disorders, the actual process of clotting is disrupted and bleeding occurs. Bruises begin to appear.

The elderly usually experience an increase in bruising, because the skin is becoming less elastic and thinner, so it's not as protective as it once was.

Treating bruises is fairly straightforward if the bruising is light or mild. Elevating the area and applying an ice pack will help to calm swelling by restricting blood flow and preventing internal bleeding. Rest is a good idea as well :)

If severe pain or additional bleeding occurs, please see your doctor as soon as possible.

In addition to bruising easily, another issue related to anorexia and eating disorders is the onset of iron deficiency symptoms.

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