Thanks for your reply. I wanted to put Arnica or Aloe on the bruising but the post/op visiting nurse said not to use anything on the incisions (other than showering with antibac soap) and that when I go to PT recommendations will be made for my skin and scar care. I have a little bit of residual lymphedema above and below the incision so I wonder if going ahead and using arnica, or as you suggest apple cider vinegar and aloe, would have reduced the inflammation around those tissues and I wouldn't be puffy still. When I saw the surgeon app. two weeks post-op she said I was healing well. I don't believe we discussed anything for bruising, but she did tell me that when I go to PT (four weeks later) I would learn how to begin scar massage. At that appointment, Coco butter or vitamin E oil were recommended for scar massage. On the eighth week follow up with the surgeon, she told me she wanted me to use castor oil because it reduced inflammation better than vitamin E. Apparently vitamin E is better for healing, but castor penetrates more deeply. The oils I used were natural if not organic... and not as expensive as you might think. I purchased mine from Amazon and the brand name was seven minerals.

So maybe the bruising did contribute to my residual lymphedema (puffiness). We all get some inflammation following the surgery; part of the natural healing proces.

I am 5% up on each arm and 2% up on my torso from baseline pre-mastectomy measurements; they actually measure the circumference of your body at particular areas. My lymphedema specialist does not think my condition will be chronic - it just takes time to heal. There could be a relationship between bruising and lymphedema, but I don't think it's really been studied. I'm not too worried because I was told it can take a year or more for inflammation to go down - and the surgeon, PT and OT lymphedema specialist have all said I'm doing well.

Despite bruising and residual inflammation I'd do it again in a minute - very happy to reduce my BC life time risk score to 2-3%.
Good luck to all on decisions and outcomes!