Post-surgical complications can be stress-inducing. After having breast augmentation surgery, many patients anxiously wait to see the final results. Any delays can be tiring, and sometimes, troubling.
What is A Breast Hematoma?
A breast hematoma is the collection of blood in the tissue around the incision site. Since it is a raised pocket of blood just beneath the skin, you can see and feel it. Large breast hematomas can cause breast tenderness, pain, and swelling. It can also lead to inflammation in the surrounding tissue as the blood can absorb bacteria.
It is not life-threatening or cancerous. Small breast hematomas usually go away on their own. They also form quite rarely. However, those who do have breast hematoma develop it within three days after the surgery. It can take more than a week for the hematoma to become visible underneath the skin. So, you need to keep an eye out for it.
Why Do I Have A Breast Hematoma?
A reason why you might have developed breast hematoma after the breast augmentation surgery is the surgery itself. It develops as a result of the post-op bleeding. There are other reasons why breast hematomas form, such as breast injury or trauma, damage to a blood vessel, and intake of blood thinners (warfarin, aspirin, heparin, ibuprofen). Certain ailments also increase the risk of its development.
If you exert your body too much after the surgery, it can also lead to the formation of breast hematoma. Although small hematomas, usually, go away on their own, it can take several months.
How Do I Know If I Have A Breast Hematoma?
Breast hematoma can cause bruising and skin discolouration. As mentioned above, it can cause pain, tenderness, swelling, and inflammation. It can feel like a lump, and many patients get scared because it looks like a tumour. If you’re worried about your breast hematoma, you can always reach out to us.
It is not necessary for both of your breasts to develop a hematoma.
How Can I Treat My Breast Hematoma?
Putting heating pads on your hematoma a few times throughout the day can help. In order to prevent it from developing, you should make sure to wear the compression garments that we provide to you for the specified time period.
You can come to the clinic for having your hematoma drained. Rarely, breast hematomas are so severe that another surgery needs to be performed. For this, the implants are removed, the hematoma drained, and then the implants are inserted again.
If your hematoma isn’t subsiding and is, in fact, increasing in size, you should contact us immediately. Even after your hematoma has dissolved, you should keep it in mind. You need to talk about it to your doctor when you’re going to have a mammogram.
In any case, follow all the aftercare instructions that we’ll provide to you after your breast augmentation surgery. And if there’s anything you need to know; you shouldn’t hesitate to contact us.