Some people bruise really easily while others can sustain hard knocks without a mark. So what is a bruise anyway?
Bruising can occur as a result of an injury or a knock; blood vessels underneath the skin break or burst and blood leaks out. This causes the purplish reddish mark we call a bruise.
Special kinds of cells called platelets come to the rescue of burst blood vessels by plugging up the cracks or breaks to stop the bleeding.
Depending on the severity of the bruise, the blood underneath the skin will get reabsorbed and recycled back in the body within anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
You'll notice during the healing process, as the blood gets reabsorbed, the colour of the bruise changes from reddish purple to green, yellow and then brown.
The amount of fat covering the body determines how easily a person bruises because fat provides padding that cushions the body against harm or injury. People who have a thin layer of body fat tend to bruise more easily.