Bruises are often challenging to detect in victims of assault, which may impact investigation and prosecution in cases of assault. Alternate light sources, such as ultraviolet and narrow band visible light, may be used to enhance the appearance of bruises. While violet light has been demonstrated to be the most effective alternate light source to visualise a recent bruise, an area that has not been explored is what is the most effective alternate light source to visualise an old bruise. To address this gap in the knowledge, old bruises were simulated by injecting pigskins with a reagent of blood, bilirubin, and ferritin. The bruises were photographed under ultraviolet, violet, blue, blue-green, and green light, and under normal lighting conditions. The Feret's diameter of the bruises was measured to quantitatively determine their size. Violet light was the most effective alternate light source to visualise an old bruise, with a mean diameter of 106.67mm. Green light was the least effective alternate light source to visualise an old bruise, with a mean diameter of 0mm. Violet light is suggested to be the most effective alternate light source to visualise a bruise, regardless of the age of the bruise in cases of assault.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.