Susceptibility to bruising and its visible appearance vary with tissue characteristics, skin pigmentation and methods of examination.
Sex and subcutaneous tissue
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Women bruise more easily than men because their tissues are more delicate and their subcutaneous fat is greater.
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Fat people bruise easily because of the greater volume of subcutaneous tissue.
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Slight finger pressure on a woman's arm may produce a definite bruise, especially if she is obese and unaccustomed to work or exercise.
Skin colour
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Bruises are more clearly visible in fair skin. In dark skin, they may be better felt than seen.
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Extravasated blood can appear darker even in heavily pigmented skin.
Embalming and photography
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Embalming makes skin bruises more prominent, probably through additional blood entering the damaged area, increased transparency of overlying skin and formation of a dark pigment complex.
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Black and white photographs show contusions more clearly than direct observation, while colour photographs reproduce them more truly.