3 bruise remedies I wasted my money on
…and the 1 that finally did something for my skin
My arms bruise if I bump a shelf. My hands have marks I can't explain. I haven't worn short sleeves in two summers.
So I did what everyone said and bought arnica cream. Then a bruise cream. Then an oil someone on Facebook swore by. Weeks on each. Nothing.
$200 of creams, and not one of them was doing anything about the thin skin underneath.
Here's the short version so you don't have to learn it the slow way like I did.
The one question I never thought to ask
I used to check one thing on a bruise cream. The reviews. Turns out there's a question that decides whether anything you buy will ever actually work, and I'd never once asked it.
Where does it go?
Creams, gels, and oils
Every cream, gel, oil, and balm I ever bought sat on top of my skin. Arnica can help a bruise fade slightly faster once it's already there. That's not nothing. But it was never going to stop the next one from forming.
The bruise isn't the main problem. The problem is the skin layer underneath has gotten so thin that even a small bump reaches the blood vessels and causes a bruise.
Collagen
That skin layer is made of collagen — it's the cushion between your skin and your blood vessels. As you age, especially after menopause, your body makes less of it. That cushion gets thinner and thinner. No cream can rebuild it from the outside. It has to come from within.
Once I understood that, every tube in my bathroom drawer made sense. They weren't bad products. They were just never going to reach the thing that was actually broken.
Two things I wondered
"Nothing has ever worked. Why would this?"
That was the hard one. Because I'd already spent $200 on creams that did nothing. My doctor told me it was just aging. But then I realised — everything I'd tried was doing the same thing. Sitting on top of my skin, trying to fix something that was happening underneath. I hadn't tried the one thing that actually goes inside and reaches the layer that's broken. That's not "trying again." That's trying something completely different.
"How is a gummy supposed to fix something creams couldn't?"
That's what I thought too. A gummy feels like a gimmick, some candy you take and forget about. But it can only work if it has a clinical dose of the collagen needed to rebuild your skin plus the cofactors to actually put that collagen to use. The creams were never going to do that — they weren't even trying to. A gummy is digested, the collagen reaches that thin layer from the inside. It's not a stronger version of the same thing. It's a completely different approach.
One more thing I did. I stopped reading the five-star reviews and read only the one-stars. That's where people tell you the truth about whether it actually did anything.
Arnica Cream
❌ Topical only
My first one, like everybody's. Your friend mentions it. The pharmacist suggests it. It's the first thing that comes up when you search "bruise remedy." I went through two tubes rubbing it on every bruise and waiting.
It can help a bruise fade slightly faster once it's already there. I'll give it that. But I kept getting new ones just as easily. Because arnica was never doing anything about the thin skin that was causing them.
DerMend
❌ Topical only
This one felt more serious. The packaging looked medical. The word "mend" is right there in the name. I wanted it to work.
It did make my skin feel softer on the surface. Less dry. But softer isn't thicker. I was still bruising from the same bumps, still covering my arms. After six weeks I looked at my forearms and nothing had actually changed.
Helichrysum Oil
❌ Topical only
This was my rabbit hole purchase. Someone in a Facebook group swore it changed her life. The bottle was tiny and not cheap. I rubbed it on religiously for a month.
It smelled nice. I think it helped the colour fade slightly faster on one or two bruises. But new ones kept coming at the same rate. I was still bumping into a shelf and watching a purple mark show up the next morning. The oil wasn't reaching the layer that was actually broken.
Hiela Labs Collagen Gummies
✅ The one I use now
I nearly didn't bother. After three rounds of "this one's different" I was done. But this was the first thing I'd found that wasn't trying to treat the bruise from the outside. It was trying to rebuild the skin from the inside. So I gave it one more go.
Where it comes from
I emailed and asked, because after the creams I trust nothing at face value.
| Marine collagen | Wild-caught fish |
| Made in | FDA-registered, GMP-certified facility |
| Ships from | The US |
What it costs, since I promised to be honest
I'd been buying arnica cream every few weeks plus DerMend plus the oil. This replaced all three.
Two gummies. That's it. No mixing, no rubbing, no mess. And if it doesn't work, there's a money-back guarantee so the only thing I'd lose is time.
And how it tastes
This mattered more than I expected. I've tried supplements that made me dread the morning. These taste like strawberry sweets. Sugar-free. I haven't missed a day in three months, and that's the first time I've ever said that about a supplement.
The honest timeline
It isn't overnight. The first week, nothing. Around week three I bumped my arm on a door handle and checked the next morning. The bruise wasn't there. That was the first moment I thought this might actually be working.
By week six my forearms looked calmer than they had in years. Not perfect. Not twenty years old. But the purple marks that used to show up from nothing had mostly stopped. My daughter noticed before I said anything.
If you're going to judge it on day four, don't start.
The honest verdict
The other three aren't bad. They're perfectly good at what they're built for, which is treating a bruise after it's already there. That just wasn't my problem anymore. I didn't spend $200 to fade bruises faster. I needed to stop getting them every time I bumped into something.
If bruising is why you're here
The whole thing, in 4 ticks.
Check where it goes.
Creams and oils stay on top. They can't reach the skin layer that's actually broken.
Check the dose.
Most collagen gummies have a sprinkle. You need a clinical dose — 2,500mg — plus vitamin C or the collagen has nothing to work with.
Read the one-star reviews.
That's where the taste, the cancellation, and the "did nothing" stories live.
Give it time.
Some women notice a difference around week three. For most it's more like six to eight weeks. Collagen rebuilds slowly — that's exactly why creams never worked. If you're going to judge it on day four, don't start.
If it goes on top of your skin, it's treating the bruise. Your skin never got the memo.
Tara St. Clair may earn a small commission if you buy through her links, at no extra cost to you.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results vary; testimonials are real but not typical.
© 2026 The Skin Notebook
I've been using these for a few weeks now and my bruising from purpura seems to not be as bad. I'm not bruising as easily and the ones I already had seem to be healing faster. I think my skin is becoming a little less fragile. Already on my second order.
Amazing results after just 2 weeks!
Only one month in and I've already noticed a change. Very excited about this product ❤️
That first month is when it starts. It keeps building from there Carolynne x
Taste good and seems to be helping with the bruising.
Taste great and they're helping with hair thickness along with everything else I'm doing.