It also affects the stickiness of circulating platelets, making them less effective in forming clots. To mitigate the risk of bruising and other clotting issues, individuals with alcohol-related liver damage should take proactive steps. For those with severe liver dysfunction, a doctor may recommend vitamin K supplements, as this vitamin plays a key role in blood clotting.
- Bruising from purpura can range from purple to reddish-purple, depending on your loved one’s skin tone.
- How a bruise looks depends on a lot of things, including your natural skin tone, how bad the injury that caused it was, and how long you’ve had it.
- Bruising comes into play when you bump a part of your body on a hard surface, causing blood vessels to rupture.
Drink Responsibly
Recognizing the signs of alcoholism is the first drug addiction treatment step toward recovery. If you’re struggling to control your drinking or are worried about the health effects, reach out for professional help. This influences the long-term production of clotting factors and places the sufferer at an enhanced risk of bruises. Alcohol would help one fall asleep sooner, but it does interrupt deeper stages of restorative sleep, especially REM. Poor sleep increases inflammation and diminishes immune function while impeding healing.
Why do alcoholics get easily bruised?
This makes even minor injuries result in noticeable bruises after drinking alcohol. In practical terms, individuals concerned about bruising should monitor both their alcohol consumption and skin changes. Early signs of thinning skin include increased visibility of veins, slower wound healing, and a papery texture. If these symptoms appear, consulting a healthcare provider is essential. Continuing to drink, even when it causes health problems, is a sign of an alcohol use disorder. Someone who lives with an alcohol use disorder may experience lasting brain changes that make it difficult to stop drinking.
More on Skin Problems and Treatments
A traditional bruise comes can alcohol cause bruising about after your body endures some impact. Running into furniture, falling into a something hard, or being struck by a flying object could all leave you with bruises. While alcohol sends you into dreamland quicker, there’s a good chance that having too much will lead to a night of tossing and turning once its sedative effects wear off. Alcohol can deprive you of the energy and mental focus you need to go through the following day.
- The combination of these factors means that heavy alcohol use can lead to frequent and noticeable bruising.
- There are certain preventative measures that can be taken, including using sun protection and avoiding injury.
- This is because alcohol slows down central nervous system activity, increasing the time it takes to register stimuli and decide on a course of action.
- To a lesser extent, vacuoles also develop in the granulocyte precursors of alcoholics.
If they want to reduce the number of bruises they experience, their doctor may prescribe topical retinoids. These types of bruises may be caused https://ecosoberhouse.com/ by actinic purpura or senile purpura. Besides bruises, older adults may also experience swelling around their legs due to fluid retention. You can help them reduce swelling by getting them to move around more. An older adult’s skin will have a reduced capacity to repair itself.
Medications commonly taken by older individuals, such as blood thinners, can also further exacerbate bruising easily. Nutritional deficiencies, like a lack of vitamin K or vitamin C, can also result in bruising easily. Vitamin C plays a vital role in keeping your skin and blood vessels strong. Vitamin K is crucial for producing clotting factors, which help stop bleeding after an injury. Since reliable tests for these vitamins are limited, it’s important to strive to maintain a diet rich in fruits and vegetables to meet your nutritional needs. If you feel that your intake is insufficient, you might want to consider adding supplements to support your health.
Alcohol increases the risk of injuries, which can cause bruises
This, coupled with alcohol’s blood-thinning properties and its impact on the liver, can result in increased bruising. While the bruises themselves may not be dangerous, they can indicate underlying health issues related to alcohol consumption. Alcoholism is a colloquial term for alcohol addiction or alcohol use disorder. If you are concerned that you may have a problem with alcohol, you should consider speaking to a doctor or seeking specialist support.