Do I Have to Go to a Plastic Surgeon for a Seroma?

I have had my implants for 6 years and I suspect I now have a seroma. Do I have to go to a Plastic Surgeon? Or can I go to my general practitioner, get a recommendation for an ultrasound, then get it it drained? I don't have the out of pocket cash to give to a PS and would like to try to get this taken care of through insurance.

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seroma 6 years post-op choosing a surgeon

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7 Doctor Answers | Asked by ShawnCarla

Doctor Answers (7)
Community Comments (1)

Seroma 6 years after implants

Is nearly unheard of but if its true, you need to see your surgeon that did your surgery. Hopefully you have follow-ups for as long as your surgeon is in practice so you won't incur fees for the visit. But there is no routine seroma that any years after surgey and you need to find out why.

Curtis Wong, MD

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Redding Plastic Surgeon

Do I Have to Go to a Plastic Surgeon for a Seroma?

It is unusual to see a seroma this far out from surgery. I am not sure what makes you think that you have one. I would strongly recommend seeing your original surgeon if possible, or another. It is unlikely that an insurer will cover a seroma from breast implant surgery. If the do, it would not matter what kind of physician is treating you. It seems unlikely that anyone but a plastic surgeon would be willing to treat a seroma around an implant, let alone try to... more

Only a plastic surgeon should evaluate your breast seroma

You need to see a plastic surgeon for your breast seroma. It is unusual for you to develop a seroma 6 years after implants, so you may have a rupture. A plastic surgeon is the appropriate person to evaluate this. Unfortunately there will be out-of-pocket expenses which come comes with an elective cosmetic surgery.

Go back

You should either go back to your PS or go to another. They will know what to do and they can diagnose what you have and treat it.

Seroma after 6 Years

I would recommend going to your plastic surgeon. Number one, a diagnosis can be made, maybe even without an ultrasound. Number two, if this needs to be drained, the plastic surgeon has a much better chance of draining it than someone else. I would agree that the chances of insurance covering an ultrasound or CT guided seroma aspiration would be slim to none.

Seroma?

Unfortunately, many insurances do not cover complications related to cosmetic procedures. You should check with your plan rep as to your benefits. More importantly, would you have a plumber fix your car because he is less expensive?? If you are having a problem go back to the original surgeon or seek out an expert in cosmetic revisional breast surgery. I can't tell what is going on from your description, but I can assure you a GP will have no idea how to handle your... more

Implants and seroma

I'm not quite sure why you think that you have a seroma six years out from your breast implant surgery. That would be rather unusual. My first choice would be to have your plastic surgeon evaluate you, however, a general practitioner can certainly order an ultrasound if he thinks it is necessary.