What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Bruising?

While the occasional bruising is usually not something to worry about (after all, everyone gets a few black and blue patches every once in a while), it starts to become a cause of concern when getting new bruises becomes the order of the day. Speaking of which, what vitamin deficiency causes bruising? And is vitamin deficiency bruising even a thing in the first place? Well, let's get to the bottom of this, shall we?

First, let's get to the bottom of this debacle; what are you lacking if you bruise easily? First things first, a bruise is basically a collection or pool of blood just beneath your skin. In other words, it is the aftermath of damaged blood vessels that causes blood to leak out, hence the characteristic purplish hue. In its simplest state, vitamin deficiency bruising is not different from what one gets from an accidental knock, bang, or tumble. Actually, your body kickstarts an automatic response to repair the injured tissue as soon as the damage is registered in your system. It's more or less like plugging a leaking pipe; the only difference is that the repairs don't usually come in quickly enough, thereby resulting in a collection of fluid (mostly blood) outside of your vessels.

What Vitamins Help with Bruising?

As explained earlier, easy bruising means that your capillaries are not strong enough to take the occasional scratch, swipe or bang in their stride. In other words, they cannot contain red blood cells upon receiving the slightest of knocks, and this can be due to a number of problems. Which, of course, leads us to ask questions such as; what vitamins help bruising? Or rather, what vitamins are good for bruising? Well, here is a quick primer on that.

Are there Vitamins to Prevent Bruising?

At this juncture, it is possible that you could be asking yourself, what vitamins prevent bruising? And do they even exist? You see, one of the main reasons you are increasingly finding yourself covered in bruises could be because you have problematic platelets, i.e., those cells that are typically involved in the healing process of injured blood vessels. Platelets, for those who may not be in the know, are instrumental for clotting, which is quite crucial if you are looking to heal injured capillaries in a timely fashion. Failure of this often results in easy or frequent bruising as your body cannot solidify (i.e., clot) blood fast enough to keep bruising at bay. Long story short is that if there exists a vitamin to prevent bruising, then it is mostly involved somewhere in the clotting process.

Vitamin K for Bruising - What Role Does it Play

According to extensive research on this subject matter, vitamin K deficiency is to blame for most cases of unexplained easy bruising. Which, of course, means that taking vitamin k for bruising can as well be considered a worthwhile solution to explore if you are constantly dealing with shiners and contusions.

Speaking of vitamin K deficiency, it could be a result of something as uncomplicated as not eating enough leafy green vegetables or as serious as celiac disease or IBD (aka inflammatory bowel disease). Not forgetting that since vitamin K is majorly a fat-soluble nutrient, folks that have a hard time absorbing fat or those that use certain medications that weaken one's ability to take up fat could very easily find themselves struggling with a vitamin K deficiency. Fortunately, however, they are several ways that one can use to increase their intake of this vitamin. Supplementation using high-quality vitamin K drops comes to mind. Wellabs Vitamin K3 + D3 drops, in particular, appear to be quite up to task bearing in mind that it is an amalgamation of two highly important and essential nutrients. More on that later, though.

An Explorative Look on the Role of Vitamin D for Bruises

Did you know that not getting enough vitamin D, aka the sunshine vitamin, can predispose one to easy bruising? Apparently, it turns out that taking vitamin D for bruises is key to reducing skin inflammation, the genesis of conditions such as skin rashes, eczema, and psoriasis. If anything, this is, after all, a nutriment that is critical for supporting skin immunity, overseeing healthy skin growth, and ensuring proper skin protection. The bottom line? One of the tenets of having glowing and beautiful skin is having a vitamin D3 supplement in your medicine/drug pantry. And Wellabs Vitamin D3 fits this bill nicely.

In other words, without access to enough vitamin D, you will not only be more prone to easy bruising but also have to contend with longer and more arduous bruise-repair periods. There's even a study that suggests that vitamin D taken either through the diet or via supplementation plays an imperative role in assisting wound and injury recovery, even though this may not be exactly directly related to bruising. Which, as a matter of fact, greatly underlines the relevance of supplements such as Wellabs Vitamin K2 + D3 drops especially if you live in an area that endures long and brutal winters or gets very little sunshine.

Vitamin C for Bruises - What's the Connection?

If you thought low levels of the sunshine nutriment is the only one associated with easy bruising, then this section will surprise you. Insufficient ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, is yet another thing that can predispose you to be easy and more noticeable bruising. Experts believe that the reason behind this phenomenon is that access to ample and quality sources of this nutrient is necessary for the formation and maintenance of strong blood vessels. And as you know, considering that bruises typically form when small veins and capillaries break, it is not exactly hard to see why weakened vessels are congruent with shiners and contusions.

Luckily, there are several ways you can up your intake of vitamin C for bruises. Apart from including plenty of citrus fruits in your eating regimen, supplementation with a high-quality and vegan-friendly vitamin C supplement also does the trick, particularly if, for one reason or another, you are unable to assimilate ascorbic acid found nestled in dietary sources.

Taking Vitamin E for Bruises

If you are constantly finding yourself bruising easily for no apparent or clear reason, then you may want to look into your intake of vitamin E. You see, scientists have long figured out that the alpha-tocopherol in this nutrient plays a role in blood clotting. Which, as you may have already guessed, implies that the right levels of vitamin E have a hand in easy bruising and how quickly your skin repairs shiners. The good thing, nevertheless, is taking vitamin E for bruises via supplementation shouldn't be an impossible feat, thanks to the existence of high-quality fixes such as Wellabs Liquid Selenium Drops fortified with Vitamin E.

Dietary-wise, upping your intake of foods such as almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and almonds is also a good way of guaranteeing regular access to natural tocopherols.

Taking Vitamin B1 for Bruises

While the deficiency symptoms of vitamin B1 are considered to be subtle, there's one that naturally stands out and is quite hard to miss - easy bruising. Also known as thiamine within medical circles, not getting enough vitamin B1 (one of the eight essential vitamins of the B family) can precipitate damage to blood vessels, which often leads to increased easy bruising.

Supplements that Can Help with Staving off Easy Bruising

So far, the gist of this article has heavily revolved around how taking supplements for easy bruising can aid in making unexplained contusions or shiners less frequent. So it only makes a ton of sense to round up this except with a summary highlighting the role of supplements for bruising easily as far as being in excellent health goes.

1. Wellabs Vitamin K3 + D3: The presence of vitamin K in this formulation can help reduce the severity of bruises. It is, after all, a fat-soluble nutrient that helps strengthen the walls of capillaries and aids in blood clotting.
   
2. Vitamin D liquid: Vitamin D is essential for skin repair and can help with injury or wound recovery. And as we have seen earlier, low vitamin D levels can make a person more prone to increased bruising and longer bruise-repair time.
   
3. Wellabs B12 Supplement: Limited access to Vitamin B12 can precipitate easy bruising. Here is the thing; it is a nutrient needed for the body to produce healthy blood cells, and a deficiency of B12 can result in anemia, associated with unexplained or easy bruising.
   
4. Ascorbic acid ranks highly on the list of supplements for bruises, and for a good reason. You see, Vitamin C is important for the body's healing process and can help strengthen capillaries, which may make them less prone to breaking and causing bruises. There's even a study that illustrated how a patient's bruising improved rapidly after starting oral vitamin C supplementation, with complete resolution within three weeks.
5. As identified earlier, vitamin E supplementation can help accelerate the healing of bruises. It is one of the supplements to prevent bruising responsible for bolstering the body and, when combined with Vitamin C, increases the rate of cell and tissue reconstruction.
6. Evidently, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties which may help reduce or prevent easy or unexplained bruising. And this makes it one of the most accessible supplements to prevent bruising that is within reach of most folks.

How to Craft a Bruise Healing Diet

The above list of bruising supplements illustrates how a bruise healing diet takes center stage if you are trying to keep unexplained contusions at bay. And yes, there exists everyday foods to help with bruising that you can leverage to keep your skin looking flawless, pristine, and angelic. These foods to help bruising ought to form the foundation of a balanced diet populated with basics such as high-quality lean protein sources and healthy fats.

For starters, foods rich in vitamin K, such as kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, soybeans, lettuce, strawberries, spinach, and blueberries, can help prevent or heal bruises. Vitamin K helps strengthen the walls of the capillaries, so they are less prone to breakage. In other words, leafy vegetables are your friend if you are looking for foods to help with bruising.

That said, it is worth noting that foods high in vitamin C, such as lemons, oranges, tangerines, and pineapple, can also help bruises heal faster. And for this reason, they should find a place in your eating regimen. Speaking of which, munching on fresh pineapple gives the body a natural dose of bromelain which may also help the unexplained bruises heal faster.

The same applies to foods with vitamin B12, such as fish, poultry, tofu, and lean meat which also promote healing after getting a bruise.

In Closing

As you can see, vitamin K deficiency is the most common cause of easy bruising. It is, at the end of the day, involved in strengthening the walls of your capillaries, making them less prone to breakage. Other vitamins and minerals that may contribute to easy bruising include vitamin C, which helps strengthen blood vessels, and vitamin D, which may play a role in wound recovery and forming new skin. Low levels of these vitamins make a person more susceptible to unexplained blue and black shiners. Fortunately, external supplementation is becoming easier, more accessible, and affordable by the day. Be sure to explore some of the options outlined in this write-up.