Bruising more easily?

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mscoutable
mscoutable Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I might just be noticing it more, but I feel like I bruise a lot more easily/frequently over the last few weeks, especially on my legs. I have read a couple of articles where they say this is common during weight loss, but could also mean a nutritional deficiency (Vit C, K, etc). I'm also pretty fair skinned, so even old bruises are visible for awhile. I was curious to see if anyone else has experienced this and what you have done to help it.

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  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I had a lot of bruises for a while, but they disappeared (and stopped coming) when I started dieting; I was eating poorly, so becoming more mindful about nutrition helped a lot.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Are you taking aspirin or a new medication?
  • Dreamcrusher16
    Dreamcrusher16 Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I've heard it cam be caused by being iron deficient and also if you're taking fish oil.
  • KaleiAlanaSmith
    KaleiAlanaSmith Posts: 133 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Iron deficiency most likely!! When I first started nursing school a year ago, I became deficient because of my diet and bruised so easily. I would wake up with 10 new bruises on my legs for no reason and people would point them out to me. It was so embarrassing. Try buying One-a-day supplements and B12 gummies :) Also make sure your diet is adequate and you're consuming enough essential nutrients. The problem resolved for me in about 2 months :) Good luck!
  • mortuseon_
    mortuseon_ Posts: 257 Member
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    Maybe a stupid question, but are you more active in general? You should have seen my shins when I first started with deads...
  • 2aycocks
    2aycocks Posts: 415 Member
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    It may be an iron deficiency. Take a vitamin with iron. If you keep noticing it or if you feel more tired than normal, go see your doc and get blood work. Don't want to have iron poor tired blood.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    You didn’t stop eating all citrus fruits, did you?

    My slow to heal/bruising resolved itself when I lost weight.
  • mscoutable
    mscoutable Posts: 30 Member
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    No new meds. And I have been more active, so that could be part of it. I may have to try vitamins and see!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,394 MFP Moderator
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    mscoutable wrote: »
    No new meds. And I have been more active, so that could be part of it. I may have to try vitamins and see!

    Do not supplement minerals without getting a blood test. Taking iron, when you are not deficient, can cause issues as well.
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
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    Weight loss can cause changes in hormone levels, and bruising happens more easily with higher estrogen levels due to slight changes in blood vessels - so women often have more visible bruises than men, as do some people starting hormone therapy. The bruises might be more prominent until your hormone levels have a chance to stabilize. I was getting some pretty gnarly mystery bruises for 3 or 4 months after losing about 40 pounds, and everything was fine with blood work. It stopped happening as randomly as it started.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    If you're between 16 and 30 it could be the emergence of an autoimmune condition like Lupus. How are your energy levels?

    If your energy levels are otherwise fine, don't worry about if for now but be sure to mention it at your next wellness check.
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    I bruised easily when I was in a deficit despite taking a multivitamin. I was only eating 1200 cals per day, and looking back that was way too little but I didn't know any better. Your deficit might be too large. Are you feeling run down or exhausted? If so you may need to eat a little more.
  • Dreamcrusher16
    Dreamcrusher16 Posts: 1,263 Member
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    Are you in a fight club...
  • 2aycocks
    2aycocks Posts: 415 Member
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    stanmann571 wrote: »
    If you're between 16 and 30 it could be the emergence of an autoimmune condition like Lupus. How are your energy levels?

    If your energy levels are otherwise fine, don't worry about if for now but be sure to mention it at your next wellness check.

    Good grief! Don't scare her to death. And the majority of women who developed Lupus do so closer to Middle age. Bruising is not the first thing you notice.
    It's more likely that a young woman has iron deficiency due to menstrual cycles and dieting.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,136 Member
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    I also second the increased activity suggestion, the majority of my bruising since I started losing weight is from being less enveloped in the cushions of the couch and being where there are rocks, oars, weights, etc.

    Not saying you should rule out a deficiency but don't panic just yet.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
    edited March 2018
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    2aycocks wrote: »
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    If you're between 16 and 30 it could be the emergence of an autoimmune condition like Lupus. How are your energy levels?

    If your energy levels are otherwise fine, don't worry about if for now but be sure to mention it at your next wellness check.

    Good grief! Don't scare her to death. And the majority of women who developed Lupus do so closer to Middle age. Bruising is not the first thing you notice.
    It's more likely that a young woman has iron deficiency due to menstrual cycles and dieting.

    Not sure where you're getting your misinformation, but the greatest percentage show up at the end of puberty. 16-25... Onset beyond that is extremely rare. And the leading cause of death from treatable Autoimmune disorders is late diagnosis.
  • 2aycocks
    2aycocks Posts: 415 Member
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    stanmann571 wrote: »
    2aycocks wrote: »
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    If you're between 16 and 30 it could be the emergence of an autoimmune condition like Lupus. How are your energy levels?

    If your energy levels are otherwise fine, don't worry about if for now but be sure to mention it at your next wellness check.

    Good grief! Don't scare her to death. And the majority of women who developed Lupus do so closer to Middle age. Bruising is not the first thing you notice.
    It's more likely that a young woman has iron deficiency due to menstrual cycles and dieting.

    Not sure where you're getting your misinformation, but the greatest percentage show up at the end of puberty. 16-25... Onset beyond that is extremely rare. And the leading cause of death from treatable Autoimmune disorders is late diagnosis.

    Got it from my rheumatologist. I may stand corrected on one part. Late onset lupus is found primarily in Caucasians, but occurs in all races.
  • mscoutable
    mscoutable Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm really not concerned about Lupus at this point. I don't have enough of the signs/symptoms you get with it, so I would be surprised. I also have some baseline fatigue, but I am also in grad school. I think that is more from constantly being stuck in a classroom and less related to other things.

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