Usually explained by age, medication or a supplement. Occasionally by something worth finding.
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Seek same-day assessment for bruising alongside:
That combination needs a full blood count promptly, because it can indicate a problem with platelets or bone marrow.
Bruising in a child that does not fit the explanation given should always prompt a careful assessment.
Bruising more easily than you used to is extremely common and usually has a dull explanation — thinner skin with age, a medication, or a supplement nobody thought to mention.
It becomes worth investigating when bruises appear without any injury you can recall, are unusually large, appear on the trunk rather than the limbs, or come with any bleeding elsewhere.
Common and benign — age-related skin thinning, particularly on the forearms; sun damage; a naturally low body fat percentage; and simply not remembering the knock.
Medication and supplements — the highest-yield thing to check
Worth testing for — low platelets; iron deficiency; liver disease, which affects clotting factor production; alcohol; vitamin C or K deficiency; and inherited bleeding disorders such as von Willebrand disease, which is underdiagnosed and often first suspected because of heavy periods alongside easy bruising.
Location tells you more than number.
Photograph them in daylight with a coin for scale, and date the photographs. Whether new ones keep appearing is more informative than how the current ones look.
This accounts for a large share of new easy bruising:
Flat, purple, irregular bruises on the backs of the forearms and hands, in someone over 60, appearing after almost no trauma and taking weeks to fade, is age-related purpura. It is caused by fragile small vessels and thinning skin — not by a blood disorder, and not by anything you are doing wrong. It looks alarming and is entirely harmless.
Bruising on its own is rarely serious. Bruising alongside any of these needs a blood count promptly:
You can say so, and it will be handled confidentially and without judgement. Doctors are asked about this often and are not shocked by it. You do not have to have decided anything, and you do not have to be in an emergency, in order to talk to someone. Telling one person is often the whole of the first step — and a GP is a reasonable person to tell.
In an emergency, call 999. If you cannot speak, dial 999, listen to the questions, and press 55 when prompted — this signals to the operator that you need police and cannot talk.
If you are worried that you are the one behaving abusively, the free Respect Phoneline on 0808 802 4040 exists for exactly that, and calling it is a legitimate thing to do.
The consultation covers where the bruises appear, how large, whether there is any bleeding elsewhere, and a full medication and supplement review — explicitly including things bought over the counter, which people rarely think to mention.
Testing is straightforward and settles most of it: full blood count, which shows platelets, clotting studies, liver function and ferritin.
Where results suggest a bleeding disorder or a marrow problem, we arrange haematology referral. Where it is a supplement or a medication, stopping or switching usually resolves it.
More than most people assume. Occasional bruises on shins, knees, thighs, forearms and hips — the parts of the body that meet door frames, table corners and dishwasher doors — are entirely ordinary, and not remembering the knock is normal too, particularly if you are busy or active.
What is worth explaining: a clear change from your own normal, bruises appearing without any trauma at all, bruises in unusual places, very large or lumpy bruises, or bruising together with any other kind of bleeding.
Considerably. Shins and forearms are exposed and get knocked constantly. The back, chest, abdomen, buttocks and face are not — so bruising there is less easily explained by ordinary daily life and deserves a proper look, both medically and otherwise.
Almost certainly a contributor if you take one. Aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin and the DOACs all cause easier bruising by design — that is the intended effect working on small vessels rather than a sign of anything going wrong.
Do not stop taking it. The risk being prevented — stroke, heart attack, or a clot — is far greater than bruising. What is worth doing is checking whether you also take something that adds to the effect: ibuprofen, an SSRI, or fish oil, all of which stack on top.
It is the fear that brings people here, and it deserves a direct answer. Easy bruising alone, in someone who is otherwise well, is very rarely leukaemia. What raises real concern is bruising plus other things: marked fatigue, recurrent or unusual infections, unexplained fevers, drenching night sweats, weight loss, bone pain, bleeding gums, or petechiae.
A full blood count is a cheap, fast, and highly informative test — a normal one is genuinely reassuring, and it is the right way to answer this question rather than living with it.
Tiny flat red, purple or brown pinpoint spots, often clustered on the lower legs, that do not fade when pressed with a glass. They are not bruises — they indicate very low platelets or a problem with small blood vessels, and they warrant a blood count promptly.
The distinguishing features are that they are flat rather than raised, tiny rather than patchy, and do not blanch.
Only if you are actually deficient, which is uncommon. Severe vitamin C deficiency does cause bruising and bleeding gums, but it is rare outside of very restricted diets and heavy alcohol use. Vitamin K deficiency causes bleeding but is unusual in adults eating normally. Supplements marketed for bruising are unlikely to help, and vitamin K in particular interferes with warfarin — do not start it without advice.
Yes, and this is one of the more common serious causes. The liver makes most of the proteins that clot blood, so liver disease produces easy bruising, and alcohol contributes both through the liver and by suppressing platelets directly. Other clues would be abdominal swelling, yellowing of the skin or eyes, spider-like vessels on the chest, and swollen ankles. Liver function tests and a blood count answer it.
Full blood count — which checks platelets and looks for anything abnormal in the white cells — clotting studies, liver function, kidney function and ferritin, with thyroid function where relevant.
That set answers the question for the great majority of people, usually reassuringly, and it can be arranged the same week. Where it is abnormal, we refer to haematology.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 23, 2026
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