Hematoma

What is a HEMATOMA?

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

It can occur in any part of the body, in internal organs, or even on the skin.

They normally occur as a result of injury to the vascular wall. It mainly happens after a trauma, which can be due to an accident, a bump or hit, 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 nearest tissues. When it occurs on the skin, those "bruises" appear, which are often, erroneously, called hematomas, but depending on their size, technically they can be classified as:

• ecchymoses
• petechiae
• purpura.

Petechiae are small pinpoint spots, usually in groups, 3 to 4mm in size.

Purpura are slightly larger spots, a maximum of 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 and that it might need to be drained.

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

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 spots. With sun exposure, the chances of developing permanent spots can increase even further.

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). In addition, when it is not related to trauma, it may be a symptom of an underlying disease.

Watch my video about the topic at:

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

Learn more about Hematoma, which is often confused with the 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 will talk about hematoma. A hematoma by definition is a collection of blood outside the blood vessels, it can occur in any part of the body, internal organs or even on the skin, it normally occurs as a result of an injury to the vascular wall, after a trauma and can even be due to an accident, a bump, a hit and even a surgical procedure. It has other clinical causes that are related to coagulation disorders or even the use of some medication, with this there is a passage of blood cells to the nearest tissue, when it occurs on the skin those bruises appear that are often erroneously called hematomas, but depending on their size technically they can be classified as, ecchymoses, petechiae and purpura. Petechiae are small pinpoint spots, they are usually 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 and that it might 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 itself that is in the blood. In the first few days, due to deoxygenated hemoglobin, it already becomes a reddish-purple, the famous bruise, with the beginning of hemoglobin degradation there is the formation of biliverdin lasting about three to six days and it becomes that greenish-bluish color and then the biliverdin will degrade into bilirubin in about seven to ten days becoming that slightly yellowish spot and finally after about ten to fifteen days it becomes that brownish color which is because of hemosiderin until it disappears. The accumulation of hemosiderin in the skin which is rich in iron, can cause a permanent spot and with sun exposure can further increase the chances of getting a permanent spot. Well, that's what I have to say about hematomas and ecchymoses. If you want to follow our topics, follow us on our social media.