How Long do Hematomas take to heal

[Shahab62283]

Hi I got hit by a baseball about 4 weeks ago in the face (on the left cheekbone). The bruising has subsided but there is still a bump on the tip of my cheekbone about a 1/4 inch in length width and thickness. i went to the doctor yesterday and she said that it might take several months to subside but they usually do go away by themselves, especially hematomas this small. however, i am a little concerned, and she isnt a dermatologist. my question is do hematomas this size usually go away by themselves? if not, what should i do to help it go away?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The blood under the skin which causes the discoloration of bruising should be totally reabsorbed by the body in three weeks or less. The hematoma should resolve by one to one and a half month. Apply warm compresses and take some oral anti inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen or Diclofenac. If the hematoma persists then please get it evaluated from a surgeon. The blood may need to be drained. Less commonly, it may develop calcium deposits at the injury site in a process called heterotopic ossification.
Hope it helps .Take care and please do keep us posted in case you have any additional queries. Kind regards.

[Shahab62283]

Hi Dr. Kaur, thank you for your reply to my question. I have another question relating to the injury. During the second week of the injury, I became aware of the hematoma and started rubbing it vigorously to try to break down the tissue. Now, the hematoma has more or less subsided but there is discoloration under my eye and on the side of my cheek from rubbing. Will these eventually go away, or are these permanent? Also, exactly how prevalent is heterotopic ossification? I did some research online, and it seems that it occurs almost exclusively with spinal cord injuries.

Thanks!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
This discoloration of the skin is after vigorous rubbing and is not permanent and should go away. Heterotrophic means wrong place and ossification means bone formation. It is the growth of bone material in the soft tissues of the body and it does not occur exclusively with spinal cord injuries. When heterotopic ossification is caused by trauma or an injury, it is known as heterotopic ossification traumatic and it may occur anywhere.
Hope it helps .Take care and regards.

[Shahab62283]

Thanks again for your reply, Doctor. How long should it take for the discoloration to disappear? The discoloration hasnt really gone down significantly in the last couple of weeks , and is there anything i can do to help speed it along?