How does a bruise form after a direct blow?

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Close-up of a person holding a child's hand with scabs on the fingers, gently cleaning the wounds with gauze. — wound Injuries that break skin can be painfully memorable.

A bruise, also known as a contusion, occurs when a direct blow or pressure causes the rupture of blood vessels located in the deeper layers of subcutaneous tissue.12

Because the overlying skin remains unbroken, the blood escaping from these damaged vessels collects near the surface. This accumulation of blood creates the characteristic bluish, purplish, or "black and blue" discoloration visible on the skin. As the injury heals, the body gradually disintegrates and absorbs the blood, often causing the mark to fade into a yellowish hue as bile pigments form.132