You may notice red, brown, or purple spots on your skin and wonder the cause. These spots may be petechiae if they are small and don’t change color when you press on them. Petechiae may not be visible on dark skin, but a person may see them on areas with lower levels of melanin, such as the forearms.
Types of Bruises
- Well, alcohol intake may lead to night sweats by speeding up your heart rate and widening your blood vessels, triggering the release of perspiration.
- Early damage to the liver causes fat to deposit onto the liver, resulting in hepatic steatosis, or alcoholic fatty liver disease.
- It increases the risk of many types of cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
- This study also showed that yellow bruises were generally older than 18 hours.
They can help you determine whether you have a problem and what to do next. By Heidi Moawad, MDHeidi Moawad is a neurologist and expert in the field of brain health and neurological disorders. Dr. Moawad regularly writes and edits health and career content for medical books and publications. Even though alcoholic neuropathy may not go away, there are things you can do to cope with this condition. Since nutritional deficiencies are partly to blame for alcoholic neuropathy. To combat these deficiencies, supplementation with vitamin B12, folate, vitamin E, and thiamine may be recommended.
When Does Alcoholic Liver Disease Cause Symptoms?
I consider myself to be an advocate for the addicted population. My compassion, resilience, empathy, wisdom, knowledge, experience and love I have for this forgotten population goes beyond words. I consider what I do for the addicted population as a calling versus a “career,” because I too was once an “addict and alcoholic.” Today I am 45.5 years alcohol and substance free. If you’re worried about your drinking habits or bruising, talk to a doctor.
What am I lacking if I bruise easily?
These look a little like a rash with purple, red, or brown dots of blood, but they aren’t raised or bumpy. Contact your GP for advice if you have a history of regular alcohol misuse. Growing up in Louisiana with addiction running rampant on both sides of my family. A life away from bruising after drinking alcohol means drugs and alcohol seemed impossible for someone like me. I remember what it was like sitting across from someone thinking there is no way they could ever understand what I was going through. I recently joined Ohio Community Health Recovery Centers as a Clinical Case Manager.
- You should consult with your doctor if you notice petechiae appear, but some cases require more prompt treatment than others.
- Your legs and arms are the most common places to get bruises.
- I am a licensed social worker.In my scope of practice I have worked in the areas of mental health and recovery for thirty years.
- By Heidi Moawad, MDHeidi Moawad is a neurologist and expert in the field of brain health and neurological disorders.
Other signs of an alcohol use disorder include spending a significant amount of time drinking, or consuming larger quantities of alcohol than intended. A person may also develop a tolerance for alcohol, meaning that they need larger and larger amounts to obtain the desired effects. Bruising occurs more readily as a person ages, making age the most common cause of easy bruising. Aging skin becomes progressively thinner, making blood vessels more prone to injury.
It causes dark purple bruise-like lesions on the skin and is most likely to develop on the arms and hands. Their thinning skin often has less fat underneath to cushion the blood vessels. Treatment also consists of evaluation for other risk factors that can damage the liver or put the liver at higher risk, such as infection with hepatitis C and metabolic syndrome. Cirrhosis is considered end stage liver disease as it cannot be reversed and can lead to liver failure. Cirrhosis is further categorized as compensated and decompensated.
- Medications commonly prescribed to older adults, such as blood thinners, also contribute to easy bruising.
- The medical community has recognized that addiction is a disease and some people are predisposed to it.
- These spots may be petechiae if they are small and don’t change color when you press on them.
- Many people with alcohol use disorder hesitate to get treatment because they don’t recognize that they have a problem.
- A bruise develops when blood vessels sustain damage and blood leaks into tissues under the skin.
Reasons for Bruises After Drinking
- You may be able to tell the spots on your skin are petechiae instead of a rash if you press on them and they don’t turn lighter in color.
- One of the diagnostic criteria that points toward an alcohol use disorder is continuing to drink, even in the face of consequences.
- The CDC defines binge drinking as drinking that brings your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or more.
- When some of these factors are lost or dysfunctional your body will not be able to fix these micro-bleeds and they will turn into bruises.
Without a vitamin K injection at birth, babies may bruise easily or bleed excessively. Adults with low vitamin K levels may also notice a sudden increase in bruising. Hemophilia involves low levels of blood clotting factor VIII (hemophilia A) or factor IX (hemophilia B). Synthetic versions of these clotting factors can help treat hemophilia and reduce the risk of serious bleeding and bruising. Von Willebrand disease, the most prevalent bleeding disorder, affects about 1% of the population.