If the bruise causes pain, painkillers, such as NSAIDs may be used against the pain. Certain creams exist to help with bruises. These creams usually combine a substance that helps skin growth with one that acts against the pain. Gently massaging the area of the bruise may also help recovery, and stop the pain, according to the gate theory of pain. If the massage is painful, it will not help the healing process. As for most injuries, these techniques should not be applied until at least three days after the initial damage to ensure all internal bleeding has stopped. Increasing blood flow will allow more healing factors into the area and encourage drainage, but if the injury is still bleeding this will also allow more blood to seep out of the wound and cause the bruise to become worse. In most cases, hematomas spontaneously revert. In cases of large hematomas or those localized in certain organs (<nowiki>"e.g."</nowiki>, the brain), a physician may perform a puncture of the hematoma to allow the blood to exit.