Thigh Lift - Hematoma Issues

Hi all - last week I posted a question here about swelling of my thigh following a thigh lift. On Sunday my surgeon diagnosed a hematoma.

Here are a few blog posts and pictures of the hematoma and my progress if you want to take a look.

Thanks to all of you *****sponded to my initial query.

Two Week Follow Up - Hematoma found and treated 
www.obesityhelp.com/member/zzroged/blog/2011/06/26/2-week-follow-up-thigh---arm-lift---hematoma--/

Update on hematoma - 2 days after being manually drained
www.obesityhelp.com/member/zzroged/blog/2011/06/28/thigh-lift-hematoma---update/

Hi, I'm a new member and I just wanted to thank you for sharing your story and pictures. Fist off you have done an amazing job and look great. I won't lie, your pictures scared me as I will be starting my cosmetic surgery process in November, but like you I am aware of the possible complications and there's no way I want to see all this saggy skin after losing this much weight.

Sounds like you have a great surgeon and they are taking good care of you, please keep us updated on your progress.

looks great, I had the same problem then my wound dehissed, which means it split open, it was disgusting looking notpainful at all. when it healed it left an ugly scar which he can fix but it is so far up and inside my thigh that only my PS, my husband & GYN Dr. will see it, I dont want anything more done to my thighs
Susan

what normally causes a hematoma?  is it just something that happens sometimes?  thanks so much for sharing this.  i really enjoy your blogs.

Here's a definition I found on www.medicinenet.com which explains it better than I can. PS - thanks for reading my blog.


A hematoma is a collection of blood outside of a blood vessel. It occurs because the wall of a blood vessel wall, artery, vein or capillary, has been damaged and blood has leaked into tissues where it does not belong. The hematoma may be tiny, with just a dot of blood or it can be large and cause significant swelling.

The blood vessels in the body are under constant repair. Minor injuries occur routinely and the body is usually able to repair the damaged vessel wall by activating the blood clotting cascade and forming fibrin patches. Sometimes the repair fails if the damage is extensive and the large defect allows for continued bleeding. As well, if there is great pressure within the blood vessel, for example a major artery, the blood will continue to leak and the hematoma will expand.

Blood that escapes from the blood stream is very irritating and may cause symptoms of inflammation including pain, swelling and redness. Symptoms of a hematoma depend upon their location, their size and whether they cause associated swelling or edema.