Why is my bruise yellow?

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Yellow means your bruise is nearly finished, not infected. A bruise is blood trapped under the skin from small vessels broken by a knock, and your body clears that trapped blood in stages - MedlinePlus describes the sequence: bruises start reddish, turn bluish-purple, then greenish-yellow, before returning to normal skin. The yellow is the final cleanup shift, as the blood pigments left in the tissue are broken down and carried away. Most bruises take about two weeks to fade completely, though a deep one can take months, and bone bruises - the most serious kind - sit sore for longer. You can speed the early stage: ice the injured area for the first day or two (wrapped in a cloth, up to 20 minutes at a time) and keep it raised above your heart when you can, which limits how much blood leaks in the first place. After that, time does the work. The bruises worth a conversation with a doctor are the ones without a story: MedlinePlus advises getting checked if you seem to bruise for no reason, if bruises appear far too easily, or if a bruise stays swollen and very painful - and any bruise that keeps growing, or comes with a hard lump that will not settle, deserves a look. Blood-thinning medicines also lower the bruising threshold, so mention them. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you judge whether yours is just healing.

Why is my bruise yellow?

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