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Why do some wounds turn purple?

65 Answers
Last Updated: 11/17/2021 at 4:59am
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Top Rated Answers
recurrenced
- Expert in Self-Harm
September 1st, 2015 8:43pm
It is the outcome of broken blood vessels and inflammation. In fact, this process will always take place in the initial phase of a scar. The skin area that is damaged will signal out signs to our bodies to send in blood flow to assist in the healing process. The unit of this new blood flow is created by sudden development of new blood vessels for the purpose of delivering nutrients and growths elements to the damaged area. This can cause a purple or red color.
Emotions05
July 11th, 2016 8:36pm
it turns purple because some blood dies because of the lack in oxygen while healing that part..it hurts because it's an infection,but the white blood cells fix it..
Anonymous
July 28th, 2015 5:34pm
Some wounds turn purple as a direct result of broken blood vessels similar to a bruise. Your body is sending inflammation chemicals to the site of the wound to try and speed up the healing process. Generally speaking, scars need 18-24 months to heal optimally.
heythereyousmiles
September 14th, 2016 2:14am
Some wounds turn purple because it was a deep or very hard force that went on that area and capilaries break and just like a black and blue they turn purple . but usually a purple scar means its almost healed all the way but its still working on getting it 100% better
Anonymous
August 4th, 2019 8:50am
I see them as a sign of healing. For a wound to heal it first gets worse that before. So it turns from red to purple. It becomes darker and looks more serious. However, in reality the body is healing itself. It needs to go through a process and we should be patient at this time and give this time to ourselves because we deserve to heal. But, the good part is that it eventually fades away with time no matter how dark purple it gets at first. It all goes away and it all falls into place. So wounds turning purple is a sign that we are on the way towards healing.
Altkittykay19
October 27th, 2016 5:04pm
Some wounds turn purple because of the scar tissue that's building up. In other cases though it can be a sign of infection.
Erynn
- Expert in Self-Harm
November 28th, 2014 1:32am
It's just part of healing. If it's temporary and the injury is very new, it may be a form of bruising. If it's an older scar it may be related to size of injury and/or the way it healed. I don't have any reason to believe a purple scar is a problem, but if you are worried about it do talk to a doctor. They can best evaluate your specific injury and guide you to the best treatment.
Anonymous
November 27th, 2014 4:21pm
because of the accumulation of blood under the newly formed skin. Sometimes, skin reforms over a wound but the blood vessels arent completely reformed yet, so blood accumulates.
Anonymous
September 23rd, 2016 7:30pm
"This may be due to bruising of skin which may occur after trauma to the skin. The blood under the skin which causes the discoloration of bruising should be totally reabsorbed by the body in three weeks or less. If the symptoms persist for a long time, then it may be due to formation of hematoma because of blood trapped in tissues. This blood may need to be drained. " I found this on a website that has doctors reply to medical questions. Hope it helps!!
insanedaydreamer1978
December 21st, 2015 3:02am
That is because they might be bruised or lacking oxygen. It is pretty uncommon for wounds to be lacking oxygen because the blood rushes to clot there, but they can definitely be bruised in some cases.
Anonymous
August 9th, 2017 2:28pm
According to science study; Besides new blood vessels sprouting up around the wound, your body creates inflammation chemicals and growth factors to enhance healing. The wound needs this initial inflammation to start the healing process. Inflammation also makes the initial scar red or reddish purple in color.
TheComedyTragedy
December 3rd, 2014 1:04am
Often bruising and / or scar tissue is a purple colour because of the damaged blood vessels surrounding the area, especially with new cuts or grazes.
blissfulEyes47
May 20th, 2018 12:45pm
It is the outcome of broken blood vessels and inflammation. In fact, this process will always take place in the initial phase of a scar. The skin area that is damaged will signal out signs to our bodies to send in blood flow to assist in the healing process. The unit of this new blood flow is created by sudden development of new blood vessels for the purpose of delivering nutrients and growths elements to the damaged area. This can cause a purple or red color.
saxophonist02
April 12th, 2018 11:15pm
If you inflict a wound on yourself or someone else hurt you, they could bruise. This bruise turns black, purple, or green.
Anonfriend13796
April 19th, 2019 5:25am
Wounds, bruises also called ecchymosis or contusions in medical terminology occur when blood from blood vessels leaks out into the adjacent tissue space and pools beneath the skin (that is a a hemorrhage) due to some form of blunt trauma in a closed wound , i.e there is no break in the continuity of the skin and no external bleeding is seen. Initially a red discoloration is seen. However, with time, the Red Blood Cells in the accumulated blood start to degrade which gives the bluish or purplish discoloration. There may be slight pain associated with it. It persists for about a few days before it completely disappears. However they could seem unsightly. Please seek doctors advice
Anonymous
September 14th, 2016 4:24am
Some wounds turn purple because of your body trying to heal itself. It's a natural process. I have had many bruises and things like this that turn purple. These broken tissue layers are trying to recover themselves.
Manos213
October 15th, 2016 11:32pm
The blood that leaks from broken blood vessels inside the wound clots giving the impression of purple skin.
CloudsCanShine
December 11th, 2016 2:01am
It is merely the body sending out signals for aid to heal which results in an increase in blood flow to the area. The higher the saturation, the deeper the color, aka red to purple.
2cupsofteaa
September 30th, 2016 9:49pm
Wounds that turn purple I'm assuming occur because there is some level of bruising. There is a blood clot I believe under the skin which gives it a bluish- purple appearance.
brightHeart28
July 11th, 2016 2:09am
Some wounds turn purple as a direct result of broken blood vessels similar to a bruise. Your body is sending inflammation chemicals to the site of the wound
Anonymous
October 10th, 2018 6:57pm
There are three reasons to why wounds might turn purple. One of those reasons could be because of it bruising around the edges meaning that it was done very harshly with a lot of force. The second reasons could be because of it not getting enough oxygen, this could be because of blood flow or many other reasons. The third reason that it could turn purple is it is slightly infected. But this is only if it is an open wound. The last two can be very serious because it could make things even worse than they possibly could be.
CalmingSunshine08
September 17th, 2016 4:57am
Wounds turn purple because under the surface of your skin your body is replenishing collagen and there's an increased amount of blood flow in that area giving it it's purple hue.
Anonymous
December 3rd, 2017 7:08pm
The reason a wound turns purple is because of broken blood vessels. The body, wanting to send nutrients to the injured area, creates new blood vessels. It can also be caused by a lack of oxygen to the area or simply bruising (busted veins and capillaries cause blood to collect beneath the skin). Overtime, as the wound heals, the color will also fade.
Maxwallride
July 22nd, 2017 11:06pm
From my knowledge as an EMT, there are several different types of wounds I know of that could be purple. Contusions, ecchymosis, and scars can all be purpleish. Contusions and ecchymosis can be purple because of minor bleeding from blood vessels underneath the skin. Scars can turn purple as part of the healing process.
Anonymous
August 6th, 2017 6:32pm
Physical wounds turn purple due to the blood in your body. When a blood vessel (the small streams that carry your blood throughout your body) breaks or is injured, the body responds by trying to rebuild the vessel. It then sends blood to that area. This is why it can become discoloured and turn a purple-ish colour.
CaptainObviouslyOblivious
February 1st, 2019 1:15pm
If you mean literally, like bruising - the reason for that is actually scientific. The capillaries under the skin burst when hit with trauma, causing blood under the surface to be trapped within under your skin. Our actual blood color before reaching oxygen is much darker in color, and can look purple or blue because the light refracting through our veins. The reason this happens within scar tissue is because it's blood being sent to that area to repair it, causing it to appear to be a purple/blueish color. In case you were curious, our veins aren't actually blue, either. They're dark red but reflect poorly in light, and end up casting a blue-ish hue because of it.
Emily619
December 7th, 2017 3:05pm
A wound turns purple due to the bruising process. When the body is struck by something, the small blood vessels close by to the skin surface rupture, and thus bruise by turning purple.
Anonymous
November 16th, 2017 2:35pm
Blue or purple is normally an old bruise. It is initally reddish or yellow, then it slowly fades into blue/purple while healing. After going blue (this is in a situation of a bruised injury) they will normally fade slowly ligher and lighter, and then eventually dissapear.
Anonymous
October 20th, 2016 5:44am
Sometimes it's because of a direct result of broken blood vessels under the skin. It signals the rest of your body to assist the blood flow.
Anonymous
September 2nd, 2017 11:43am
This may be due to bruising of skin which may occur after trauma to the skin. The blood under the skin which causes the discoloration of bruising should be totally reabsorbed by the body in three weeks or less