Forearm with small red petechiae spots and a purple bruise indicating low platelet count. Symptoms of low platelets include easy bruising and bleeding under the skin. Medical skin condition.
Tiny red, purple, or brown pinpoint spots, usually in clusters and often on the lower legs. They're small bleeds under the skin - a classic sign of a low platelet count.
With too few platelets, blood leaks from tiny vessels and can't clot, so bruises appear from little or no injury - often larger or slower to fade than usual.
Both signs are the same problem: not enough platelets to plug small vessel leaks, so blood escapes into the skin. Normal is 150,000-450,000 per microliter; below 150,000 is thrombocytopenia.
These signs - plus prolonged bleeding from cuts, gums, or nose, fatigue, or heavy periods - warrant a simple blood test. Many causes of low platelets are treatable once they're found.