Imagine a clear, watery bubble forming under your skin after surgery. That’s a seroma, a surprisingly common afterthought of procedures like breast reconstruction or mastectomy. It’s not dangerous, but this unwelcome guest can linger, causing discomfort and delaying your recovery.
While it mostly minds its own business, understanding how this fluid collection arises and what options exist to banish it will help you navigate this unexpected visitor with confidence. So, let’s unravel the mystery of the seroma and equip you with the knowledge to turn its unwelcome visit into a fleeting blip on your healing journey.
The fluid buildup that causes seroma may begin a day or two after surgery, or it may appear several weeks later, after surgical drains have removed. Medical experts believe that the body’s immune system responds to surgical trauma by releasing serous fluid.
Small seromas usually do not require treatment because the body can reabsorb them. Larger ones can be drained using fine needle aspiration.
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Seroma Symptoms
A seroma is a manageable complication that sometimes develops after surgery, particularly after breast augmentation, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), body and face lifts, and liposuction. The resulting pocket of fluid may look like a cyst and is often tender or painful to touch. The area around the seroma may swell or feel full and heavy, while a clear discharge from the site is common. Seromas that don’t cause pain, strain on the surgical wound, or infection can monitor for several weeks until they reabsorb back into the body.
Small seromas can absorb by the body and heal naturally, while larger ones are more likely to require treatment. Doctors will examine the area and perform tests to diagnose the condition, including a physical exam and ultrasound or computerized tomography scan. They may also prescribe analgesics and anti-inflammatory medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to help manage pain and discomfort.
If a seroma is causing symptoms, the surgeon will typically drain it. They can use a syringe to extract the fluid, or they may place a catheter that sits beneath the skin and allows for continual drainage. In some cases, doctors may try to use a procedure called “sclerosis,” in which liquid antibiotic or other medication injected through a drain into the site of the seroma. This helps the seroma to close and prevents recurrence.
It’s important for patients to follow the surgeon’s recovery instructions, including avoiding strenuous activity like workouts at Pufferbelly Trail and keeping the incision area clean. They should also let their doctor know if they experience new or worsening symptoms.
Ideally, seromas should allow to drain on their own to allow for natural healing, but if the patient is experiencing significant pain or discomfort, the surgeon will need to drain it manually. In most cases, this can do in the surgeon’s office using a syringe or by placing a drainage tube under the skin. In rare cases, a large collection of seroma will need to be surgically removed. While the formation of a seroma is a natural part of the body’s normal healing process, it can slow down postoperative wound repair and lead to complications, such as fibrosis, granulation tissue, and infected or chronic wounds.
Seroma Diagnosis
Seromas are collections of yellowish to white fluid under the skin that appear as swollen bumps. They occur when the body fills space left by dead tissue after surgery and is a common complication of breast, abdominal or lymph node removal surgeries. They also can form from a surgical drain that fails to function correctly. Seromas are not dangerous, and in many cases, will reabsorb on their own over time. In other cases, however, they will need to drained on a regular basis.
A minor, small seroma may not need any treatment at all. If the fluid is clear, it can reabsorb into the body over a period of months without any intervention. However, it is important to monitor the area and seek medical attention if it becomes painful or swollen and strains against stitches or other tissues at the site of surgery. A serious infection can develop and lead to an abscess.
In most cases, a doctor will drain the seroma with a needle and syringe. It is important to have a doctor with training in periprosthetic seroma management, since they will be able to diagnose the presence of a seroma and determine whether or not it needs to drained regularly. In addition to aspirating the seroma, doctors will often use ultrasound-guided aspiration to avoid damaging the surrounding tissues and prevent the seroma from returning after each draining session.
If a seroma is not drain, it can lead to a fibrous capsule formation that will prevent further drainage and make it difficult for the fluid to escape the seroma sac. In this situation, frequent drainage will be necessary and even surgical removal of the seroma may require.
If a seroma is not draining on its own, doctors will need to perform a surgical procedure called marsupialization or excision of the capsule in order to allow for further fluid drainage. This is a procedure that will require a general anesthesia and a hospital stay. In addition, patients will require to follow their surgeon’s activity instructions and restrictions after the procedure.
Seroma Treatment
In many cases, a seroma will disappear on its own. However, if the area continues to grow bigger and cause pain or interfere with physical activity, a medical professional may need to drain it. During a drainage procedure, a healthcare professional will numb the affected area and use a needle to draw out the fluid. This can repeat multiple times if the seroma keeps building up.
It is important to avoid touching the area of a seroma because it increases the risk of infection. Instead, a healthcare professional will often recommend using a warm compress or pad to increase blood flow to the affected area and help it heal faster. Anti-inflammatory medication can also use to manage the pain caused by a seroma.
Some surgeries are design to prevent a seroma from developing in the first place. For example, some tummy tucks and breast lifts involve surgical drainage systems that will collect excess liquid during recovery. Despite this, it is not always possible to prevent a seroma from occurring after cosmetic surgery.
When a seroma does occur, it is important to contact a medical professional immediately to receive treatment. It is important to note that the longer a seroma goes untreated, the more difficult it will be to treat. The swollen area will continue to stretch and pull at the surgical incision site, which can lead to long-term complications. It can also reduce the amount of oxygen and nutrients to the surrounding tissue, leading to permanent damage. In some severe cases, the continuously stretched skin over a seroma can form fibrous tissue that hardens around the seroma, making it more difficult to drain.
Typically, seromas reabsorbed into the body within 1 month. However, it can take up to a year for larger seromas to completely resolve. If the seroma does not resorb, it can become a knot of calcified tissue that remains until it is remove surgically. In some cases, the pocket of liquid can drain using a process called aspiration. During aspiration, the seroma drained using a fine needle. In rare cases, a catheter inserted into the seroma to encourage ongoing drainage. Sclerotherapy can also use to treat a persistent seroma by injecting an irritant into the empty space between healing tissues. This can promote the formation of scar tissue to help seal off the area and prevent future fluid accumulation.
Prevention
Surgical procedures involving the disruption or removal of large areas of soft tissue (like tummy tuck surgery or breast reduction) tend to have a higher risk of seroma formation. This is because the removal of large amounts of tissue creates a negative space that becomes a likely receptacle for collections of fluid. Damaged blood vessels and lymphatic vessels will leak fluids to this negative space to prevent infection, thereby forming a seroma.
While doctors don’t know for sure what causes seromas, they have a few theories as to why it happens. One theory is that the formation of a seroma puts mechanical stress on the incision, which can cause it to dehisce. Other theories include inflammation or a systemic response to surgical trauma.
In order to prevent seromas, it’s important to follow post-surgical instructions. This includes keeping the wound clean and taking any medications that are prescribe to you. It’s also important to get enough rest, avoid strenuous activity, and eat well.
Another way to prevent seromas is to use drainage techniques. This can do by using surgical drains or aspirating the fluid with a needle. In some cases, patients may be able to drain the seroma themselves using home remedies like hot water or a vacuum sealer.
Surgical drains are also an effective tool for preventing seromas from forming in the first place. They’re inserted into the wound during surgery, and they can help to keep the area clean and dry, which will reduce the risk of seroma development.
Other methods for preventing seromas include the use of certain medications and modifying surgical procedures. For example, a study showed that women who had a modified radical mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction had lower rates of seroma formation than those who did not. The same study also showed that using a technique called quilting (inserting interrupted deep stitches in the breast wound) to close the wound was more effective at reducing seroma formation than conventional closure with drainage in mastectomy patients.
In addition, using a compression garment after breast surgery and avoiding excessive movement of the shoulder can significantly decrease the chances of seromas developing. Talk to your cosmetic surgeon about the best ways to protect yourself from seroma formation after undergoing any type of body contouring surgery.
Recommended Readings:
- Breast Augmentation Basics
- Medical Spa Treatments for Post-Surgery Healing
- Unveiling the Magic of Silvadene Cream
- Eye Bags Are Not Always Serious Health Concerns
