Banana Peels to Heal Bruises

"Holding a banana peel over a bruise for 10-30 minutes will remove it's color!" 

Between work, hobbies and wrangler to two kids, I've had my fair share of bruises. So having seen this idea pin several times on pinterest I decided to give it a try. Despite testing it several times, it never once worked for me. Some of the pins suggest doing it right after you get hit, others seem to say it will fade already developed bruises, however if you bang your knee on a table and put a banana peel on it, and a bruise doesn't form - was it the peel or were you just not going to develop a bruise? I tested it both on newly hit areas, and bruises I already had, yet it didn't do a thing for me. (Other than making me looking silly, holding banana peels to my legs) 

Having looked up the contents of the banana peel, I was hoping perhaps there was some high content of some mineral or vitamin known to help the skin, and in turn people assumed it would help with bruises. However despite having vitamins like Manganese and Potassium, it has a much higher fiber and water content compared to an actual banana (source) In that case, why not just use an actual banana? 

Type in "How to get rid of bruises" on pinterest (or even google) will pull up dozens of different methods. I've personally tested out the banana peel method, but I'm going to list below some of the other ways they say you can fade a bruise:

• Listerine
• Bananas
• Vinegar
• Milk
• Hand Sanitizer
• Leeches 
• Onions
• Eat Pineapple, Parsley

Unfortunately - most of these will not work. That's not how bruises work. They are caused by bleeding under the skin. About the only one I can see being effective on that list is the leeches, but I don't know of anyone who happens to keep a jar of those handy around anymore. Anything else is just being placed on the surface of the skin, and won't have much of an impact on how fast the blood will fade.

There are some more traditional methods that you can try to help lessen the coloring and pain, such as icing the area and taking an NSAID or tylenol; however as I was researching various methods I came across one that seems to actually work faster than just time : Kinesio tape, also known as KT tape.

The interesting thing about this, is that there are well documented photos showing how well it works. 

from the blog Ride. Write. Repeat.

In fact because of how the tape is applied, you can see where the tape was aiding in the healing process. After searching details on this method, I found countless photos and examples of people with kinesio tape to help heal bruises. The way the tape works on your skin, the tension involved and how it pulls up on the skin; allowing the blood to better disperse. Though it might seem a bit overkill if you're just trying to heal a small bruise on your knee or arm, if you're facing a far more serious and painful bruise, this is the method I'd turn to. Leave the banana peels in the garbage.