(1) Whether the discoloured area seen is in fact a bruise |
(2) Its causation; that is, nature of the object or surface impacting on skin |
(3) The force of impact |
(4) The age of the bruise |
(5) The site at which it is found and its relevance to causation and appearance |
(6) Congestion or vascularity of the site |
(7) Distribution, where there are several bruises |
(8) Appearance (pattern, size, colour, related injuries—for example, central abrasion) |
(9) Collective assessment of multiple bruises (and other types of injuries) to reconstruct events—for example, in non-accidental injury in children |
(10) The presence of natural disease, particularly blood dyscrasias, which may be a primary or contributory factor in its production |
(11) Constitutional factors of the individual |
(12) Skin colouration of the individual |