Hematoma

What is a HEMATOMA?

A hematoma, by definition, is a collection of blood outside the blood vessels.

It can occur anywhere in the body, in internal organs, or even on the skin.

They normally occur as a result of damage to the vascular wall. It occurs mainly after trauma, which can be due to an accident, a bump or ضرب, or even after a surgical procedure. In addition, it has other clinical causes that are related to coagulation disorders and even the use of medications.

This causes blood cells to pass into the surrounding tissues. When it occurs on the skin, those "bruises" appear, which are often mistakenly called hematomas, but depending on their size, technically they can be classified as:

• ecchymoses
• petechiae
• purpura.

Petechiae are small pinprick-like spots, usually in groups, measuring 3 to 4mm.

Purpura are slightly larger spots, at most 1 cm.

And ecchymoses are spots larger than 1 cm.

Calling a spot a hematoma can lead to the false idea that there is actually a collection of blood that may need to be drained.

The color evolution of the ecchymosis will depend on the degradation of hemoglobin present in the blood itself.

1. In the first few days, due to the presence of deoxygenated hemoglobin, the spot becomes reddish-purple, the famous "bruise".
2. With the beginning of hemoglobin degradation, biliverdin is formed.
3. After about 3 to 6 days, it turns blue-green.
4. Then it degrades into bilirubin after 7 to 10 days, becoming yellowish.
5. After 10 to 15 days, it turns brownish due to hemosiderin, until it disappears.

The accumulation of hemosiderin in the skin, which is rich in iron, can cause stains. Sun exposure can further increase the chances of getting stains.

The most important thing is to seek medical attention if you experience any of these symptoms, especially if it is recurrent (appears multiple times) or persistent (i.e., does not go away). Additionally, when it is not related to trauma, it may be a symptom of an underlying disease.

Watch my video on the subject at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY6sN1Fy-Ys&t=1s Description

Learn more about Hematoma, which is often confused with purple spots that appear on the skin. Plastic Surgeon Dr. Fernando Amato (CRM 133826) clarifies everything about the problem. See more information in the video! 

Transcript

 Hello, I'm Dr. Fernando Amato, and today we're going to talk about hematoma. A hematoma by definition is a collection of blood outside the blood vessels, it can occur anywhere in the body, internal organs or even on the skin, it normally occurs as a result of damage to the vascular wall, after a trauma and can even be due to an accident, a bump, a blow and even due to a surgical procedure. It has other clinical causes that are related to coagulation disorders or even the use of some medication, this causes the blood cells to pass into the nearest tissue, when it occurs on the skin those bruises appear that are often mistakenly called hematomas, but depending on their size technically they can be classified as, ecchymoses, petechiae and purpura. Petechiae are small pinpoint spots, usually they are in groups and each spot is 3 to 4 millimeters, purpura are slightly larger spots of a maximum of 1 centimeter, and ecchymoses are spots larger than 1 centimeter. Calling a spot a hematoma can lead to the false idea that there is actually a collection of blood that may need to be drained. The interesting thing is the evolution of the color of this bruise, the ecchymosis, which will depend on the degradation of the hemoglobin in the blood itself. In the first few days due to the deoxygenated hemoglobin it is already a reddish-purple, the famous bruise, with the beginning of hemoglobin degradation there is the formation of biliverdin which lasts from three to six days and it gets that greenish-bluish color and then the biliverdin will degrade into bilirubin in about seven to ten days getting that slightly yellowish spot and finally after about ten to fifteen days it gets that brownish color which is due to hemosiderin until it disappears. The accumulation of hemosiderin in the skin which is rich in iron, can cause a permanent stain and with sun exposure it can further increase the chances of getting a permanent stain. Well, that's what I have to say about hematomas and ecchymoses. If you want to follow our topics, follow us on our social networks.