What to do about a bruise?

What does a red bruise mean?

• I've gotten purple/yellow/brown bruises before, but on the inside of my upper arm I have about a dime sized red bruise. Does a red bruise mean anything different? This is the first time I've gotten a red bruise, and a lot of people have been pointing it out so I'm just curious. It does sort of hurt to fully raise my right arm (The arm that the bruise is on) and when I do raise it it mostly hurts in the inside upper arm, near where the bruise is. When I don't have my arm raised it only hurts a bit in my hand area and the area near where the bruise is. Also, should I put something like ice on it? I've had it for the past couple of days, maybe even a week. Not really sure when it showed up. I don't remember hurting that part of my arm at all.

• Answer:

  The red is from the broken blood vessels. It should change color in a couple of days to the lovely colors you're used to seeing and then it will go away.