The opposite of my previous technical scene question.

[jbsegal]

For a friend - no really. I mean it.

She marks too easily. One of her partners doesn't like seeing bruises on her while the other one wants to be able to hit her with more than a feather duster (hm...that'd sting, wouldn't it?)...

I know (I think I know) that b vitimins can speed healing...but how can someone become 'thicker skinned'?

She thanks you. I'm just asking the question. :)

Comments

[catya.livejournal.com]

well, add arnica to the list of things to healing faster.. along with ice soon after... but i don't actually no anything about how to mark less. i think it's constitutional?

on the other hand, over the years i've found that you can almost -always- find a way to hurt someone without marking hir, and save the marks for when sie won't see hir other partner for a few days.

[electriccat.livejournal.com]

I don't believe one can become "thicker" skinned, but there are some products that can be used to speed healing. Also, I've read that increasing vitamin C and E will lessen the amount of bruising that happens.
Applying arnica gel to the um... area after um... impact can help lessen the bruising as well.
I had a partner who swore by this stuff called DMSO (and it certainly worked on bruises that I applied it to). It's one of those products that the FDA can't figure out how to deal with it, so it's technically sold as a "solvent".. go figure.. but what it does is penetrate the skin to speed healing of the injury below the skin surface.. etc. (google on it if you're more curious)
Happy flogging! ;-)

[alphacygni]

Gosh. I'm interested in the answers to this for even completely non-scene reasons. I seem to bruise just by looking at myself too hard. And really, I'm not a rugby player, and am not trying to look like one who just came from a game.

you can't become thicker skinned. but...

[bluepapercup]

Vitamin B, C and Calcium all speed healing of bruises.

However. I don't care to be alarmist but often easy bruising is a mark of one of a multitude of underlying health problems or constitutional weaknesses. She should ask her GP next time she goes in for an appointment for some basic bloodwork to check metals levels (for toxicity), iron levels (for anemia) and general health.

I am familiar with this problem though, as I bruise very easily. It is an annoyance at times. Often in absence of health problems the only thing that can be done is take vitamins and eat better.

I also agree with the above poster who says that it's possible to *not* necessarily leave bruises.

[kimberlogic.livejournal.com]

B vitamins haven't helped me much ... but I bruise easily these days. Ice immediately after play can help stop the bleeding-under-the-skin, and Arnica does help the bruises fade more quickly. Bruise plaster (chinese medicine, available in most asian groceries/chinatown) apparently works well for larger bruises.

[aliza250.livejournal.com]

C is the one I've always heard cited for bruise healing. Aspirin (or any other anticoagulant) makes people bruise more easily.

In some areas, like the butt, (skin over fat over muscle) I've heard that you can work up to gradually more thud without bruising, as the skin will get thicker. Wearing short skirts in the winter also causes the skin to get thicker.

Along those lines, icing down the skin before, during, and after the scene might help. ;-)

Also, people adapted to high altitude don't bruise as easily. Flying to Denver for that scene might not be an option, though. :-) [Sorry, I don't remember the reference, it was a mountaineering article.]

For all of the above, remember that bodies vary, YMMV.

[dilletante.livejournal.com]

two anecdotes.

moominmolly used to bruise really easily but doesn't anymore. during the time period in which this changed, she drastically altered her diet twice, took up intensive regular excercise, and stopped smoking... so we're not really sure what caused it. (she wasn't trying to bruise less easily; it just happened.)

i used to practice a style of karate (uechi-ryu) which taught that some parts of the body (muscle, basically) can be toughened up by... well, beating on them. there were some specific excercises, but they consisted of hitting each other lightly and rubbing against various muscles vigorously. we were told not to do this to the point of bruising, but a little before.

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

I *think* that lowering my body fat also helped with this. But as you said, being approximately 100% healthier certainly seemed to do the trick.

[dbang.livejournal.com]

Wow, funny you should ask that, I'm in the exact same situation. Reading the replies eagerly...

[xeger.livejournal.com]

There's an odd concoction called 'bruise juice' that's worked surprisingly well for reducing the effect of bruises.

One recipie that I've dug out says the following:

And then, there's "BRUISE JUICE!" This recipe comes straight from Jeanne Rose's Herb & Things, and she says this about it:

"When applied externally, pain immediately disappears and the healing process seems to be hastened." It comes from an old herbal, Receipts in Physick and Chirurgery, by Sir Kenelm Digby, 1668, and is called "A most precious Ointment for all manner of Aches and Bruises; and also for the Redness of the Face."

Take 2 handfuls each of the fresh botanicals, or 1 handful each of the dried: Alfalfa leaf, Balm (Lemon Balm leaf), Bay leaf, Benzoin, Birch bark, Chamomile flower, Clary Sage, Cowslip flower and leaf, Dill seed, Elder flower, Feverfew, Hyssop, Jerusalem Oak seed, Lavender, Lemon peel, Lovage, Marigold flowers, Marjoram, Mint leaf (Spearmint), Mugwort, Myrtle berry, Pennyroyal, Peony leaf and root, Primrose, Ragweed, Rose leaf, Rosemary, Rue, Saffron, Sage, Sesame seed, Smallage, Southernwood, St. John's Wort, Tansy, Thyme, Violet flower, White mint (Peppermint), White Pond Lily root, Wintergreen, and Wormwood.

If the botanicals are fresh, stamp them all individually in a stone mortar and cover with a layer of olive oil. When you have gathered all ingredients together, put them into a large enamel pan. Cover them with a thin layer of olive oil (about 2 quarts of oil altogether; you can substitute any other oil or lard for the olive) and add 1 quart of May Wine or any other dry white wine. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1-3 hours, or until the wine has evaporated. DO NOT LET THE HERBS BOIL!!! Strain through a coarse strainer, then a sieve, then through 3 layers of cheesecloth. This process of straining will take a little time. Finally, put it into a clean glass container and let it quietly settle for a couple of weeks. Now decant the clear, beautiful, green oil, and throw the dregs away. This all takes time but you will be very satisfied with the result, and this amount of oil will last for a year or more.


...but the stuff that I'm thinking of is definately not an oil... and I used to get it from 'The Occult Shop' in Toronto. Many scadians should have decent recipies. I've had really excellent results with it, although it did leave a [brief] yellowish tinge to my skin. YMMV.

[angelovernh.livejournal.com]

With more gradual warm up and slowly moving from light floggers to heavier ones I have seen less bruising. Follow-up the scene with Reiki or other energy healing (and probably Arnica, too) and that should help a lot. You can also rub the area with ice immediately after hitting with a hard toy or in between toys - that's a fun shocking thing which seems to help prevent bruising, too.

[tisiphone.livejournal.com]

Well, it's been a while but...
My skin is so pale I mark if you run your fingers down my leg (though not seriously) so I've had a few bruises. I found that limiting my intake of aspirin (to, like, nothing), using wide strappy untextured things (such as paddles) rather than skinny ouchy things (canes and the like) and taking a cool (not hot, not cold) shower immediately afterwards kept me from getting too many odd looks from my roomie. I still didn't manage to not mark entirely though.
Ooh, also if you've still got layers on (undies or suchlike) the bruising won't be as bad.