Why do I get bruises so easily?

A bruise is blood from broken small vessels pooling under the skin, and how easily those vessels break depends on your skin, your vessels, and your blood. The common reasons stack up quietly. Age: skin and the tissue cushioning the vessels thin over the years, so knocks that once left nothing now leave a mark - forearms and shins show it first. Medicines: MedlinePlus states directly that blood thinners such as aspirin, warfarin, and clopidogrel make you bruise more easily, and steroid tablets and some antidepressants thin the skin's defences too. Forgotten knocks explain most mystery bruises - the corner of the bed, the car door, the gym bar - especially on shins and thighs. Diet plays a smaller but real role: very low vitamin C weakens vessel walls. Most easy bruising is benign and needs no test. The pattern that deserves a GP appointment is bruising that changed - suddenly much worse than your lifelong normal - or bruising with company: bleeding gums, frequent nosebleeds, unusually heavy periods, tiny flat red dots that do not blanch, or family members who bleed easily. Those raise questions about platelets and clotting that simple blood tests answer. The urgent version: large painful swellings (blood pooling into muscle), a bruise after a fall that keeps expanding, or bruising with fever and feeling very unwell. Meanwhile, practical protection: moisturise fragile skin, pad the sharp corners of your life, and review your medicine list with a pharmacist if bruising has crept up since a new tablet started. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you weigh your pattern.