Can Bruises Scar?

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Can A Bruise Leave A Scar?

An interesting question dermatologists sometimes get from our patients is whether their bruises can actually lead to scars. The answer to this question is nuanced and depends on the type of bruising and the associated injuries to the skin. In general, most bruising can heal without scarring. However, there are important exceptions.  

If the injury that lead to bruising caused a break in the skin, a deep cut or a gash, it may result in not only a bruise but also a scar. The depth and width of the injury and the body part which was injured are some factors that determine whether a permanent scar develops. Also, if that injury results in a skin infection, scarring is much more likely to occur.  

 

 


Take two type of injuries for example:

1) You accidentally hit your shin on a low coffee table. The hit doesn't break the skin but leads to a big bruise. 
2) You fall while running and split open your lower leg. This wound results in a lot of bruising but also gets infected. Injury #1 will likely heal without a scar. Injury #2 has a high likelihood of scarring given the large laceration to the skin in addition to the subsequent infection that developed.
One additional consideration is that while certain bruises don't heal with scarring, they may heal with increased pigmentation in the skin.  This is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or Postinflammatory pigment alteration (PIPA). This is the result of increased melanin (pigment) synthesis in response to skin injury or trauma. This increase in pigment (PIPA) most often occurs in individuals with darker skin types and can be permanent unless treated with lasers or chemical peels.

While some of this pigmentation may eventually fade, some bruises can heal with permanent hyperpigmentation, especially if the bruises occur on the lower leg area. This results due to delayed clearance of the hemosiderin under the skin and/or hyperpigmentation. This is more common in areas with decreased blood circulation like the lower legs.  

Skintensive Bruise cream was specially developed to target bruising by reducing the time from development of a bruise to the fading of a bruise and by making skin more resilient to bruising in the future with continual use. 
Skintensive Bruise & Scar cream does not completely prevent bruising or make bruising magically disappear overnight, but it is effective in both bruising lightening and bruise prevention.