WNEG-TV

NORTHEAST GEORGIA - For some people, bruises seem to pop up in unexpected places. So what causes it? Bruises may be common, but two years ago, Melanie Fowler wasn't taking any chances when discolorations started showing up more often on her skin and in unusual places.

Fowler says, "I had a big bruise on my upper eyelid and i knew I had not hit myself or I had not been rubbing my eye very hard. then the following morning i woke up and i had a bruise all the way up my leg."

Fowler ended up seeing hematologist Christine Kempton. She determine that Fowler's daily fish oil supplement in combination with a baby aspirin were causing the bruising. When she quit taking them, the bruising stopped. "Aspirin inhibits your platelet function so it's not uncommon that it might increase your likelihood of bruising."

Experts say aging can also make you more susceptible to bruises.

"Your subcutaneous kind of fat, the buffer between your skin and your blood vessel may become thinner as well so your likelihood to have a bruise increases as you age," says Dr. Kempton with the Emory University of Medicine.

Kempton recommends checking with a doctor if bruises last more than a few days or become more frequent. That could mean something more serious.