Why if you get hit in the forehead you get a lump not a bruise like you would on your arm?

Answer 1

It is called a bruise or contusion, and is caused by blood vessels bursting under the skin due to the impact, forming a bulge.

They happen more easily on the head because there is less padding, the vessels are pushed against the skull on impact, with little subcutaneous fat or other tissues in the way. This is the reason why they are also more prominent, with the bone directly behind them, they can't do anything except bulge outwards. A thigh bruise on the other hand has soft tissues to push against inside the leg.

Answer 2

Your head has a much denser blood supply than most of the rest of your skin. It's there to support the hair. When you bump your shin on the coffee table, a modest amount of blood flows out, leaving a visible bruise. When you bump your head on the soccer goal, a much greater number of blood vessels are broken, resulting in a greater volume of escaped blood; therefore, a bump forms. You can get bumps on other parts of your body if the injury is sufficient. Take a line drive off your shin while pitching and you can get a really spectacular bump.

Answer 3

Bruising occurs when the walls of blood vessels are damaged and blood escapes into the tissues causing red , brown or greenish swelling. Over the next few weeks the body absorbs the blood and repairs the damage. Sometimes scarring follows and this can result in a lump that may be permanent.

Answer 4

While the head is very vascular (has many blood vessels), it does not have much of a fat layer between the skin and the skull. The arm, however, has more soft tissue and more fat, depending on the size and weight of the person. Also there are more large blood vessels in the arms and hands than in the head/face. Therefore, you're more likely to get a bump or knot on the forehead which may bruise later, and more likely to get a bruise faster on a forearm and most often wuthout a bump or knot.

Answer 5

I would assume it has to do with muscle vs. bone. If you bruise your shin, you will also have a bump.