Introduction
After getting your breast implants, it is best to be prepared for the things that may happen after it. There are many complications that can happen and one of which would be the development of a seroma. The formation of the seroma is not only due to a breast augmentation surgery but it can also be brought about by other extensive surgeries.
Seromas after the breast surgery can appear weeks, months or years after the operation. Identifying the presence of a seroma in the breast is possible if you make yourself aware of the different symptoms such as swelling, reddish discoloration of the skin, pain or tenderness, and leakage of clear fluid.
Additionally, there are also other symptoms that you should look out for such as a high-grade fever, the presence of pus, excessive bleeding, severe pain and opening of the incision. These along with the symptoms for seromas could be very dangerous so you must immediately go to the hospital or contact your plastic surgeon.
Typically the presence of a seroma isn’t really fatal, but the complications that it brings could be. It is, therefore, important to diagnose the presence of a seroma as quickly as possible and do the necessary procedures to treat it.
Seroma in the breast
Breast augmentation has its risks, and one of them is having a seroma. Seroma is the accumulation or build-up of fluids due to the damage that the lymph vessels and the capillaries receive during the breast augmentation surgery. Having seroma isn’t only limited to those who had breast augmentation surgery, it can also happen in other areas where extensive surgery is done.
A seroma that is formed after breast augmentation surgery can either be small or large. The smaller seroma can usually go away on its own but the larger ones have to be drained. It has a negative effect on the healing process and it can cause further complications such as infection. This is the reason why it has to be properly managed so that it can be completely removed.
Identifying a seroma
In order to be able to do something about the seroma, you first have to know how to identify it. Among the things you should look out for are the following:
– Clear fluid is coming from the site of the incision.
– Pain or tenderness over the incision.
– Reddish discoloration of the skin over the incision or near the incision.
– Swelling.
The additional symptoms found below may indicate that you are already in need of immediate medical attention. Make sure to call the emergency hotline or rush to the nearest hospital when you have these symptoms.
– High-grade fever that is over 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Pus, a whitish or yellowish fluid, that comes from the site of the operation.
– Uncontrollable bleeding from the incision site.
– Severe pain is coming from the wound.
– The opening of the wound.
To diagnose the presence of a seroma, a physical examination can be conducted by your surgeon and to confirm the presence of a seroma, imaging tests can also be requested. Imaging tests such as CT-scans and ultrasounds enable medical practitioners to see if there is really a seroma present.
If the seroma is left untreated, it can lead to complications such as the formation of an abscess, seroma calcification, sepsis, opening of the surgical wound or formation of a more unattractive scar.
Treatments for seroma
Smaller seromas usually do not need any medical intervention. They typically go away on their own because they are reabsorbed by the body in a few weeks or month’s time.
Your surgeon may also ask you to take in medication such as ibuprofen to help with the pain. Although it cannot speed up the removal of the seroma, it can help you to be more comfortable as you wait for the small seroma to subside on its own.
For larger seromas that cause pain and discomfort, the surgeon may advise getting the seroma drained. This can be done by making use of a needle and a syringe to aspirate the fluid. This method may be done several times to remove completely or drain the seroma. Another way would be to make a small incision and then insert a drainage tube so that the fluid can be removed. The fluid can be submitted for further pathological testing to make sure that there is no serious complication that is present.
The pathological results can also determine if the seroma present is already infected. In case it is, antibiotic treatment will be given by your surgeon. There are oral antibiotics that would be prescribed or you can also have them through the intravenous route when you need re-hospitalization.
Seromas are not really fatal, but their complications can be unpleasant to say in the least. The large sized seromas can interfere with the circulation of blood towards the area that needs to be healed, and so you can expect that it wouldn’t heal as fast or not heal at all. This can further cause the wound to open up. It is important to make sure you contact your doctor right away if you suspect that you have a seroma.
Conclusion
The presence of a seroma after having your breast implants is a possibility. In fact, the seroma can also appear after other extensive surgeries that would damage a lot of lymph vessels and capillaries.
It is important to know how to identify the presence of a seroma so that you can report it to your surgeon quickly. Having a seroma doesn’t instantly mean that you could die from it but it could lead to worse complications. It is also important to know what symptoms show up when the seroma has already caused a serious complication.
Although there are seromas that can cause serious complications, the smaller ones usually get reabsorbed by the body on their own. For larger ones, there is a need to drain. For infected seromas, there is also a need to take in prescribed antibiotics after the seroma is drained.