A cold compress is the best to take down the inflammation . cold compresses work best. Cold. Bruises are caused by ruptured blood vessels. The color you see is the blood that leaked out into the tissue around the rupture. Warmth will encourage blood to flow to the area which may increase the swelling. Cold slows blood flow in the area and makes swelling go down. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about the discoloration. Hope this helps.