Kids Ask Dr. Lisa:
Bumps & Bangs

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, June 24 and June 12, 2007
Show 413

Michaela Powell:

Dr. Lisa, me and Gabby know that exercising is a great way to stay healthy—but is it really so healthy to come home with bruises all the time?

Dr. Lisa Thornton:

Good question, Michaela. Well, has anyone ever been hit by, like a baseball, maybe or bump into something real hard? In medicine we call that a "contusion." And what happens is that under your skin there are these blood vessels and they burst and it causes a little red area that is a bruise.

Now over time, that bruise will go from red to purple to yellowish-brown and then it goes away. The bad news is it can look kind of yucky for a while. The good news is, it almost always goes away on its own. But, if your bruises don't seem to be going away, you'll want to let your parents know.