What Are Black and Blue Marks?
What Are Black and Blue Marks? Black-and-blue marks indicate bleeding under the skin. When we receive a sharp blow, tiny blood vessels break inside the skin. Blood from the injured blood vessels seeps into the bruise. Here, the trapped blood becomes dark and discolored. When this bluish color shows through the skin, we call it a black-and-blue mark.
In a few days, the skin changes to greenish-yellow, and finally to its normal color, as the discolored blood is gradually absorbed into the bloodstream. A bruise is commonly tender and sometimes even painful for the first few days, but the pain usually goes away as the color fades. Most bruises will disappear after 2 weeks, and some go away even sooner.
A “black eye” is caused by broken blood vessels, also. If a bruise occurs just above the eye, you can expect the bruise to travel to the area just under the eye, possibly causing a black eye, because of the effects of gravity.
As long as you are able to move the affected eye in all directions and do not have changes in your vision, it is unlikely to be a serious injury that requires a visit to the hospital. The treatment for a bruise is most effective right after the injury, while the bruise is still reddish.