Ecchymosis is the medical term used for the subcutaneous hemorrhage condition when blood accumulates under the skin. In this case, blood leaks from blood vessels and accumulates in tissues. This condition can occur anywhere on the body – for example, the mouth, under the skin, or on a mucous membrane.
Ecchymosis may appear as a large purple, red, or blue area on the skin. Sufferers may also have inflammation or pain. Symptoms may be passed to nearby areas of the body. It is sometimes classified as a simple contusion.
Ecchymosis may have rounded, elongated, quadrangular shapes, depending on the structure of the object used in the lesion.
Symptoms that may accompany ecchymosis
These are the most common symptoms:
- Presence of reddish, purple or bluish color on the skin.
- Patients suffering from ecchymosis may perceive acute pain at the affected site.
- Depending on the degree of tissue damage, inflammation may be present.
- In patients with cancer, this disease could be an indication of the decrease in platelet level (thrombocytopenia).
- Ecchymosis may also appear as red spots on the legs.