Bruise – haematoma.

Even the finest needle can hit a small blood vessel; the escaping blood shows as a red dot, blue patch or swelling. In the face bruises are especially common around the eyes and lips, where vessels are dense. They are harmless, change over one to two weeks from blue through green to yellow and disappear completely.

The risk can be lowered: no blood-thinning painkillers (aspirin, ibuprofen) for a week beforehand, no alcohol the day before, no high-dose omega-3, vitamin E or ginkgo products. Prescribed blood thinners are never stopped on your own but discussed beforehand. Technically, blunt cannulas, slow injection and immediate cooling help.

Afterwards: cool, don't massage, no heat and no sport in the first 24 hours. Arnica gel or vitamin K creams are often recommended; the evidence is thin, a try does no harm. A bruise is not a complication of the treatment but an expected accompaniment.

This lexicon entry is general information and does not replace the medical consultation required under German law (§ 630e BGB).