Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy (TLETA) Week 2 Practice Test

Bruise color changes as the blood that has leaked into tissues is broken down by the body. About two days after an injury, the bruise typically appears purple, blue, or dark—often described as blue-purple or even black. This happens because the blood that collects under the skin becomes deoxygenated and dark, giving those hues. As days pass, the color shifts to green and then yellow-brown as hemoglobin is further broken down and absorbed. Individual factors like skin tone and the depth of the injury can affect the exact shade, but the blue-purple range is the common appearance around the two-day mark.