Bruise turned into rash

[pmarler]

I had blood draw a little over a week ago. The site turned into a large dark bruise approx. 3 inches across. The bruise turned to the characteristic yellow a few days ago, and was almost completely gone. Today, I noticed itching where the bruise had been, and I now have small raised itchy bumps exactly where the bruise was. I put cortisone cream on the rash; however, it burned quite a bit, and the itching is pretty intense. What would cause a bruise to turn into a rash when it heals?

[Dogcrazy84]

I’m in my early thirties & relatively healthy. I take Wellbutrin 300mg (throwing that in there for commonality sake). I’m dealing with one of these rashes right now. Side note - when I was in 8th grade, I got ringworm on my upper leg that spread across both thighs and my rear end. I saw a couple NPs who told me it was eczema & that I’d have to treat it. Last year I saw a dermatologist because it got so back & SHE finally diagnosed me with ringworm. After living with it for 19 years, it was treated & cured within a matter of weeks. The itching & intensity of that matches this rash. Someone early in the threads called it an allergic reaction to the healing process. I hope so. What I had was a fungus & I hope to never go through that again.

[StacyA13]

Yes! This exact same thing has been happening to me for almost 4 years now! No doctor can explain it,  or has even heard of it for that matter.  The rash is so painful and happens all the time for me as I am always getting bruised from the type of work out training that I do.  I was diagnosed with lupus/ possible RA about 5 years ago and just figured it had to do something with autoimmune diseases. It happened while on medication and off. Doesn't matter.  I am in my early 30s and relatively healthy. (Besides the autoimmune stuff). I would love to follow this post to see if anyone evee finds an actual answer! Thanks!

[L_S_Hall]

I'm a DO and believe it's a reaction to bile salts. I've had the same reaction a couple of times. Papular pruritic rash (red itchy bumps), margins exactly matching the edge of a bruise. Occurred toward end of the yellow/green phase. Both times, the bruise was particularly dark and the rash was along the inferior margin. Because it occurred in the area where the yellow/green color was most dense (inferior margin, pooling due to gravity I'm guessing) my thought was that it's a reaction to the bile acids released from the RBC's breaking down. Similar to the cholestasis and pruritic papules of pregnancy.  For non-medical readers:  the initial blue/purple color of a bruise is from red blood cells released into the skin. As the cells are broken down, the color turns yellow/green due to the release of bile salts from the RBC's. Red blood cells carry bile salts as a way of recycling them. If you've ever seen bile, you can see why the yellow/green stage of a bruise is related to it. Bile salts cause red, itchy bumps on the skin - Google some images of cholestasis and pruritic papules of pregnancy. Hope this helps!

[Sabledog]

L_S_Hall, it would be so helpful if you could recommend a solution/treatment.

I, too, believe this is an allergic reaction to the healing process.  My own hematoma on my lower leg was healing nicely, then erupted into an intensely itchy, red, blistery rash on the bruise site as it was turning yellow.  I place stock in what you are saying, L_S_Hall (I am a Ph.D. and only use D.O.'s like yourself, not M.D.'s).

I am interested in some of the commonalities here which may help us understand our phenomenon. I, too, am menopausal, aged 50.  This has never happened to me before.  I, too, had a blood transfusion.  I am blood type A+.  I am sometimes anemic. I am watching my A1C begin to climb, but I am not diabetic and am working hard not to be.  Otherwise, very, very healthy.  Anyone see any commonalities running through this thread?

Thanks to the Mayo Clinic for providing us a place to come together.  We are not crazy, folks!

[itchy905666]

Blood type AB  negative here.  Female.  In my 40s when mine occurred.  I too suffer from migraines but with aura.  I do have sensitive skin and often have excema flare-ups.  At the time of my bruise to rash issues I was not on any medication and had no conditions except for slightly elevated blood pressure.

[maze_bethany]

So glad to see I'm not alone in this craziness!  My story is very similar.  Wound up in the ER with intense pain (turned out to be a defunct gallbladder that was removed a week later).  The nurse blew out a vein in my left forearm when attempting to insert and IV, resulting in a a bruise approx 3x2 inches almost immediately after removing the needle.  It stayed in the dark purple/black stage for almost two weeks.  As soon it started to lighten the itching started.  Now I am left with a red itchy patch (like poison ivy reaction) in the EXACT shape of the hematoma!

For commonality, I am a 37 year old female (somewhat overweight) with O+ blood.  The only medical issues I have had are seasonal allergies, a spontaneous collapsed lung (over 8 years ago) and the non-functioning gall bladder.  To the best of my recollection, I have never received a blood transfusion.

[kpcoconut]

For comonality, I'm female and 54. Sorry to say but I don't know my blood type. The only medications were birth control back in 2007 for the first instance and HRT during this current one. I don't think I have ever had a blood transfusion unless I had one when I was six years old in the hospital for a week after getting hit by a car...but I'm pretty sure I did not.

Back in 2007, at 42 yrs old, I slipped and fell and ended up with my entire left bottom cheek as a deep bruise, as it healed it turned into a rash on the outer edges of the bruise. That went away within a few days but then my back developed a rash, very shortly after.

For over a year and half that rash covered 90% of my back. The doctors I saw, a rash specialist, a dermatologist and my GP, all told me it was not possible for a bruise to become a rash and then move from my buttocks to my back. They said there was no way my fall had nothing to do with it.

My entire life changed that day. I went from eating so much cheese, and other dairy, that my husband would kid that I was part rat. I ended up seeing an allergy specialist a few months after this fall, in 2007, with the other docs poo pooing my fall/bruise/rash theory and found out I had developed a severe caesin protein allergy overnight...meaning all dairy was now my enemy. I completely stopped eating any dairy, cold turkey. This meant no lunch meat and no fresh ground meat, as they are usually injected with caesin as a preservative. Also had to stop eating anything that came in a package that I was not 100% sure of the ingredients listed. I guess health wise this wasn't such a bad thing.  I also decided to stop drinking soy milk, which I was drinking a lot of at that time. With the diet changes the rash began to heal immediately but never really completely went away. I finally figured out this year, that I can no longer have red wine since most of the wine makers use a mixture that includes caesin to filter it.  Since 2007, I had only been completely 100% rash free for probably 100 days, as it still comes and goes. This could be due to more food allergies that I haven't figured out yet.

Now here we are in 2020, after stopping the red wine back in Jan, I've finally been completely rash free for probably one full month. Unfortunately, now a new bruise/rash incidence has occurred. I just had a horrible bruise on the outer forearm that was extremely painful and as it's beginning to heal I'm developing a rash again. But the rash appears on the upper and inner forearm not on the bruised area itself.  

[Pop282828]

Same here bruise on inner arm now itchy bumps that drive me mad never ever had itchy skin anywhere but this is driving me mad

[Cassey1969]

I have Small brown bruises all over and they turn rush In to a rash and they are itchy and pain full

[jane8265]

Yes I am allergic to nickel and I also got a rash when my hematoma from iv transfusion started to heal