
After undergoing breast surgery, such as breast augmentation or reconstruction, patients may experience a complication known as bleeding, also referred to as a hematoma. This occurs when a blood vessel begins to leak into the space where the breast implant is located, leading to the accumulation of blood and potential discomfort for the patient. It is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of bleeding after breast surgery to ensure prompt medical attention and proper management of this complication
Signs and Symptoms
Patients who have experienced bleeding after breast surgery may notice the following signs and symptoms:
- Sudden increase in pain or discomfort
- Swelling or bruising that appears rapidly
- Changes in breast shape or size
- Visible discoloration or blood under the skin
- Feeling of warmth or heat in the affected area
It is important for patients to monitor their recovery closely and report any unusual symptoms to their healthcare provider.
Treatment and Management
If bleeding is suspected after breast surgery, it is crucial to seek immediate medical attention. Treatment for a hematoma typically involves drainage of the accumulated blood and close monitoring of the patient’s condition. In some cases, additional surgery may be necessary to address the bleeding and prevent further complicationsIt is important for patients to follow their healthcare provider’s recommendations for post-operative care to minimize the risk of bleeding and other potential complications. This may include taking prescribed medications, wearing compression garments, and avoiding strenuous activities during the recovery period.
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These products can be helpful in promoting healing and reducing the risk of complications after breast surgery, including bleeding.Overall, bleeding after breast surgery is a potential complication that requires prompt attention and appropriate management. By being aware of the signs and symptoms of bleeding, patients can work closely with their healthcare providers to ensure a smooth and successful recovery from their procedure.
- Symptoms: The breast tissue will enlarge up to 2 to 3 times, creating asymmetry between both breasts. The tissue might have some bruising noted as well. This can occur immediately after surgery or up to three weeks later.
- Rate of occurrence: When we look at the statistics on a nationwide level, the rate of hematoma after breast augmentation occurrence is between 2% to 4%.
In this guide, we’ll consider signs of hematoma after breast augmentation and how common is hematoma after breast augmentation.
Hematoma After Breast Lift And Augmentation
A hematoma is a collection of blood beneath the skin that can occur when the blood vessels are damaged. The hematoma can be small and barely noticeable, or it can cause significant swelling and discomfort. A hematoma after a breast augmentation surgery can make one of the breasts appear larger than the other and can create a markedly swollen bruise on the surface.
While there are several measures you can take after your procedure to avoid developing a hematoma, there are three things you should know upfront:
- Try not to worry. Only about one in 200 people develop the problem after surgery.
- Hematomas are manageable. Esprit® Cosmetic Surgeons resolves these concerns for Portland breast augmentation patients either through a follow-up procedure or other treatment methods.
- We’re here for you. If you think you may already have a hematoma or if you have other questions after your surgery, please give us a call. The Esprit® Cosmetic Surgeons make special efforts to be accessible to their patients, both at the office and by mobile phone.
The Connection Between Hematomas and Breast Augmentation
The small blood vessels in your body are very delicate, and those in your breasts will be particularly fragile after breast augmentation surgery. In the early weeks following your procedure, the blood vessels are at risk of opening and leaking blood, which can lead to a hematoma.
The fragility of the blood vessels means that Portland breast augmentation patients can develop hematomas regardless of how well their surgery went or even how well they care for themselves afterwards. However, there are some ways to limit the likelihood of their occurrence.
After your procedure with Esprit® Cosmetic Surgeons, we will provide you with post-operative instructions to promote your health and recovery. This guidance, including the recommendations described below, can help you avoid complications during your recuperation.
Steps to Take to Avoid Hematoma After Breast Augmentation
1. Give Yourself Time
At Esprit® Cosmetic Surgeons, we aim to achieve each patient’s personal vision of health and renewal. If you are like most of our Portland breast augmentation patients, you’ll be excited to enjoy the results of your procedure and to finish your recovery as soon as possible.
The Esprit® Cosmetic Surgeons and our staff ask that you please take the time necessary to heal. For the first four weeks after your procedure, the small blood vessels around your surgical sites will be at particular risk. Commit yourself to your recovery over these weeks so that you can have an excellent long-term outcome and lessen the chance of complications.
2. Take It Slow
Increases in heart rate and blood pressure can lead the small blood vessels to leak. Typical strenuous activities such as weight lifting, running, and other exercises cause this to increase.
Even if your body feels healed from the breast augmentation surgery, there are processes going on inside that need to take place for your full recovery. Stay away from doing things that can drive up your blood pressure and in particular, try to avoid straining your upper body.
3. Ease Into Activities
Portland breast augmentation patients should try to have the calmest recovery they can. However, it’s okay to add to your daily activities as you progress in your recuperation.
Patients can return to work, driving, and gentle intimacy once their initial surgical sites have healed. Surgery will also not prevent you from having a full range of motion. As your body becomes more accustomed to activity after the procedure, feel free to comb your hair, twist your torso, or lift light loads.
The general guidance Esprit® Cosmetic Surgeons offers is simply to avoid straining your body unnecessarily during your recovery and to know that issues such as hematoma are rare and treatable. Our practice has conducted over 2500 breast augmentation procedures for Portland patients, and with the accessibility and experience we offer, we can help patients with any concerns they may have.
Signs Of Hematoma After Breast Augmentation
You can usually see and feel a hematoma because it’s often just below the skin, where blood has collected and clotted together. The pooled blood may cause inflammation and swelling. The skin above a hematoma can appear to be bruised and, in the case of surgery, broken.
When feeling a hematoma, it may feel like a firm lump beneath the skin. That can be frightening if you’re familiar with the common symptoms of breast cancer.
Most hematomas are small (about the size of a grain of rice), but some can be as big as plums or even a grapefruit.

Causes
A breast hematoma may be caused in several ways. Most of the time, you will recall an injury that caused the hematoma.
Possible causes of a hematoma include:
- Injury to the breast, such as a sports injury, car accident, or fall
- Weak blood vessel breaking in response to a bump or jolt
- Breast implant surgery (postoperative bleeding)
- Therapeutic (not cosmetic) breast surgery, such as a lumpectomy (removing cancerous or abnormal breast tissue) or mastectomy (removing the entire breast)
- Core needle breast biopsy (rare), with risk of a hematoma roughly doubling with a vacuum-assisted procedure
Those on aspirin or blood thinners, such as Coumadin (warfarin), Eliquis (apixaban), or Xarelto (rivaroxaban) are at particular risk for a hematoma regardless of meeting the criteria above.
If symptoms occur without an injury, the specific cause of the hematoma may need further investigation through surgery or anther procedure.
How Common Is Hematoma After Breast Augmentation
A hematoma is a well known complication during the early postoperative period. Hematomas have been reported to occur in 1.5% to 10.3% of individuals having undergone breast augmentation in the early postoperative period; especially in the first few days after surgery .
Diagnosis
Diagnosing a hematoma may require imaging of the breast and, in some cases, a biopsy.
A small hematoma probably won’t be seen on a mammogram. However, if the hematoma is large enough to be seen, it will usually appear as a well-defined oval mass. If it resolves on its own, it won’t appear on your next mammogram.
Spots on mammograms that are more suspicious for cancer appear with a spiky outline. Hematomas may have some suspicious-appearing features due to scarring or how the hematoma affected the breast tissue.
Hematomas often leave behind calcifications (calcium deposits) as well, but these are large in contrast to the microcalcifications on a mammogram that raise suspicion of possible cancer.
Hematomas are also found along with seromas, pockets of fluid in the breast that frequently occur after breast surgery. A breast ultrasound is often the best test for evaluating a possible seroma.
While breast hematomas can leave behind scarring that sometimes mimics breast cancer, they do not increase the chance that a person will develop breast cancer in the future.
Hematoma vs. Tumors
In the case of a questionable breast mass, such as a hematoma that caused scar tissue and resembles a tumor, an ultrasound after an abnormal mammogram can detect if it is a hematoma. In some cases, a biopsy may be performed if the imaging continues to look suspicious. The pathology report can tell you whether the mass is benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Treatment
For small breast hematomas, no specific treatment may be needed. The body will absorb the blood from the bruise and it will eventually go away on its own. A heating pad or compress may help speed the process along.
Larger breast hematomas may need to be surgically removed. In some cases, it is possible for a breast hematoma to spontaneously recur.
Summary
Breast hematomas are a collection of blood in the breast. Although these can occur without an injury, most are due to an injury or surgical procedure. The hematoma may show up on breast imaging, and it may need a biopsy if it appears abnormal in any way. A hematoma is not cancer, and many times no specific treatment is needed.