(HealthDay News) -- Have you wondered why the older you get, the more easily you seem to bruise?

Aging and sun damage weaken tiny veins in the skin, which are easily broken. This causes bruises to develop more easily, and the bruises take longer to heal than when you were younger, according to the U.S. Army Medical Department.

The black-and-blue color of bruises is the result of blood seeping from the veins into skin tissue. Without a fresh supply of oxygen, the blood turns dark blue. The blood will keep seeping until the tissue is saturated or the vein constricts.

Anticoagulant medications can react with aspirin and other drugs to cause easy bruising. And in some people, aspirin alone will increase bruising.