Small Seroma at 12weeks? (photo)

Question

I noticed a small pocket of fluid at about 8 weeks (below the belly button just above the incision. At 9weeks I saw my doc and she aspirated close to a teaspoon? I felt there was still fluid inside but it seemed difficult to get it all. I am now 12 wks po and still feel fluid. It hasn't changed since I left the doc's office 3 weeks ago. Will such a small amount harm me? Should I return and get it out? I have been wearing my garment as suggested. (Still)

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD · Answer

Small seromas are best handled by sequential aspirations until they no longer occur. You will be seeing your plastic surgeon periodically until your problem is resolved.

Richard Bloom, MBBS (Hons), FRACS · Answer

Hi there,

	Seromas are very common after any body contouring surgery. The reason for this is that the surgery creates such a big raw area and this "leaks" fluid.

	Virtually every patient would have some fluid if you look hard enough!!

	It is completely harmless and will not affect your final result. Eventually your body will reabsorb the fluid and it will stop building up. Ironically it is sometimes easier to aspirate when there is more fluid, because your surgeon will be able to find the space with a needle.

	I suggest you have it aspirated when and if it gets annoying, otherwise just leave it and it will go away with time.

	Good luck and best wishes

	Richard Bloom  FRACS (PLAS)

	National Chairman Board of Plastic Surgery

	Melbourne , Australia

Joseph L. Grzeskiewicz, MD, FACS · Answer

Seromas generally aren't harmful, but if they aren't treated early and allowed to resolve they can persist.  This is because the fluid causes the tissues to form a lining or a "peel" around the cavity that it is in, and this prevents the tissues from ever totally healing together.  Thus, you can have a chronic seroma that can persist for months and months, or longer.  Or it can go away and then come back intermittently.  It won't make you sick or cause significant health hazards, unless it becomes infected, but it can look unsatisfactory, it can feel uncomfortable, and it can prevent certain types of activity or movement.  Sometimes when we aspirate a seroma in the office, we only get part of it because the seroma had loculated, or divided up into different chambers, and maybe only one chamber was entered and drained at the time and others were left.  The thing to do at this point is to return to the surgeon for another attempt at decompressing the fluid, and if she can't get it all out that way, then perhaps ultrasound guidance will help.  Sometimes we will also place another drain for a while to see if that will allow the seroma to finally heal.  And if all else fails, we simply go back to the OR and do a procedure called "decortication," in which we remove the peel of  tissue, replace a drain, and sew up the cavity.  That usually works every time, but it would be nice to avoid it if possible.  Good luck.

Jourdan Gottlieb, MD · Answer

I would be inclined to aspirate this again were I your surgeon. My suggestion would be to contact your own surgeon for instructions.

	All the best.

Small Seroma at 12weeks? (photo)

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Answer: Small Seroma at 12weeks?

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Small Seroma at 12weeks? (photo)

Answers (4)

Answer: Small Seroma at 12weeks?

Answer: Small Seroma at 12weeks?

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Everything you need to know about Tummy Tuck

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