What could have caused this bruising?

[InRoseBlush]

My cousin's daughter is staying over with me tonight and she's just showed me some bruising around her wrist. It goes all the way around, it's not particularly dark but it's definitely visible and there are two patches where there's no bruise. I've marked on a picture to give you an idea of what I mean.

When I looked I put my hand around her wrist and my thumb and forefinger pretty much line up with the unbruised patches so I initially thought someone had bruised her by grabbing her but then I realised it would be the opposite wouldn't it? It would be where the dots are that would be bruised?

She's saying she doesn't know how she got it which I find odd and quite concerning because she's 12 so should remember. So I'm just wondering if anyone can think of anything that would cause bruising like this?

Has she had a watch on too tight or a hair bobble wrapped round her wrist. I've had marks from both of those.

Hair bobble or could it be dye from a jumper wristband ?

I expected her to be younger. If she is 12 what was her purpose in showing you? How did the conversation go? I think that more than the bruise would be your clue as to whether she is wanting you to work out she has been abused and do something or if she is genuinely confused about where it came from.

@NannyGythaOgg I did wonder that but I don't think that would explain the two unbruised patches. Might be something like that though, she doesn't wear a watch but does often have a hair tie around her wrist.

@Hellocatshome

I expected her to be younger. If she is 12 what was her purpose in showing you? How did the conversation go? I think that more than the bruise would be your clue as to whether she is wanting you to work out she has been abused and do something or if she is genuinely confused about where it came from.

Yes, I'd be thinking along those lines too

From the position it does sound like it could be a hair bobble/bangle/clothes sleeves being too tight/rubbing.

I don't think its necessarily concerning her not knowing how she got them, especially if she has very fair skin where bruises look obvious from just a little bump - I regularly get random bruises on my legs where I'm not 100% sure what I've banged into.

I also agree with the PP who say thinking about the way she brought it up is important.

She brought it up out of the blue. She just said "Look at this bruise on my wrist" and when I asked about it she said she didn't know how she got it. She didn't seem upset or anything but also didn't seem puzzled by it, if that makes sense? I was more thinking along the lines of if another child had done it at school. She's not very forthcoming when you ask about school/her friends etc and a few times my parents and I have noted that she's been quite quiet and withdrawn. She's also constantly on her phone and takes it with her when she leaves the room. But those things could all be because she's about to hit her teens so might just be transitioning into a moody teenager.

I'll ask her to give it a wipe in case it's dye from her school jumper as another PP suggested.

Sounds like a normal pre teen with a normal bruise to me to be honest.