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Everything You Should Know About Lipoma

Have you ever noticed a skin-colored lump growing on your face, arm, neck, back, or thigh? If so, there are very high chances that the lump is a lipoma. In normal conditions, a lipoma doesn’t cause pain or have any other symptoms that would affect life's productivity. However, in some situations, the lumps can grow to become painful. They may also cause cosmetic concerns if they emerge on the face, neck, and arms. Due to these two reasons, people seek advanced lipoma treatment. And fortunately, there are several methods available to remove lipomas in a quick and minimally invasive manner.

Table Of Index

What is a Lipoma?

Why do lipomas form?

Types of lipomas

When to consult a doctor ?

Our Lipoma Specialists

Questions to ask your doctor

Lipoma Treatment Cost in India

Insurance coverage

Long term outlook of the treatment

Lipoma

What is a Lipoma?

Lipoma is a lump of fatty tissues that form right below the skin. They are soft rubbery tissues that can be moved with the touch of a finger. They are also known as benign tumors as they stay in their primary location and don’t cause any kind of damage to the healthy tissues.

These fatty lumps grow at a very gradual rate and don’t turn cancerous. They are rarely painful and need treatment. But if a lipoma is bothering you in some way, you can always ask a doctor to remove it.

Lipoma formation

Why do lipomas form?

The causes for lipoma growths are still unknown but they start to form due to the overgrowth of fat cells. Through various studies over the years, doctors have found that certain underlying medical conditions can increase the chances of developing these fatty lumps. In some conditions, you can even get multiple lipomas on different parts of your body. Lipoma-causing medical conditions are:

Dercum’s disease, which is a rare disorder that causes painful lipomas to grow on the arms, legs, and trunk. It is also known as adiposis dolorosa or Anders’ syndrome.
Gardner Syndrome is another condition that runs in families. Polyps start to form on the body along with lipomas and have the potential to become cancerous as well.
Madelung’s disease is a condition that mostly occurs in men who have a habit of drinking excessively. It is also known as multiple symmetric lipomatosis as multiple lipomas grow in the neck and shoulder region of the person who has this condition.

Types of lipomas

Adenolipomas

Adenolipomas

Angiolipomas

Angiolipomas

Hibernomas

Fibrolipomas

Fibrolipomas

Spindle-cell lipomas

Spindle-cell lipomas

Superficial subcutaneous lipomas

Causes

Injuries

Faulty gene from parents

Medical conditions like Gardner’s Syndrome, Madelung’s disease, etc.

Symptoms

Encapsulated fat tissues

Painless lumps of skin color

Round shaped lump with rubbery tissues

Lump moves when you touch

A lump smaller than 2 inches in diameter

Diagnosis

During the initial consultation, the doctor will firstly physically examine the lipoma. The doctor will identify whether the skin-colored lump exhibits the symptoms of lipoma or liposarcoma (cancerous skin lumps). From the appearance, it can be difficult to differentiate between lipoma, liposarcoma, and other forms of cysts.

Thus, the doctor will touch the lipoma to see if it moves. The doctor will also check if the lipoma is causing pain. Though lipomas are normally painless, they can sometimes form over blood vessels and compress them that will cause pain and discomfort.

If pain is present, the doctor will order lab tests to accurately identify the condition.

Biopsy- A tissue sample of the skin lump is collected to look for signs of cancer growth.

X-Ray- This test will provide a clear picture of the dense structure of the lipoma.

MRI- This test will create better images of the fatty mass and its exact location.

CT Scan- It is performed to see the fatty mass underneath the skin to confirm that the lump is composed of fatty tissues.

The self-diagnosis of lipoma can be done if you are aware of the symptoms it exhibits. For instance, you can start by touching the lump and seeing whether it moves or not. Lipoma can be very small and large in size. And it grows very slowly without causing any kind of pain or discomfort. Usually, that’s who a person will narrow down if the skin lump is lipoma or not.

However, this is not an appropriate way to diagnose lipomas. Though the physical symptoms will give you an idea, still there is no assurance that the lump is not some other kind of cyst or liposarcoma.

To rule out the possibility that the skin lump is not cancerous and doesn’t pose a threat to your health, it is advisable that you visit a skin specialist or a plastic surgeon who understands the condition and knows how to manage and treat it.

Diagnosis by Doctor forlipoma

Severity

As lipomas are not life-threatening, they are not considered a serious health problem. But they can become severe in the following cases:

Size- If lipoma continues growing, it can become even bigger than 5 cm and 6 inches wide. Such lipomas negatively affect the aesthetic appearance of the individual and lead to self-consciousness.
Pain– In normal conditions, a lipoma won’t hurt. However, if it grows large, the accumulated fat tissues may become heavy and start compressing the blood vessels underneath the skin.
Number– Another scenario where lipomas are considered severe is when multiple lipomas grow on different parts of the body at the same time.

In all these three cases, lipomas will become problematic due to which you will have to seek expert help.

Severity of lipoma

Prevention
Unfortunately, there are no proven methods available that will help to prevent lipomas. Moreover, lipomas commonly occur in people who inherit these genes. As the condition is passed down through DNA among families, it is not possible to prevent the,
However, in some cases, you can reduce your chances of developing these benign skin lumps. For instance, you can minimize your chances of developing Madelung’s disease that causes lipomas to grow by limiting your alcohol intake.
The best thing to do is to consult a plastic surgeon and discuss this matter with them. They will be able to better explain the conditions that cause lipomas to grow and also provide an insight on how to avoid them in the future.
Myths & Facts
Myth 1: Lipomas are cancerous.
Lipomas are non-cancerous benign tumors that are composed of fatty tissues only.

Myth 2: Lipomas don’t grow over 1-2 cm.
Lipomas can grow around 10-20 cm and weigh around 4-5 kgs. However, it happens rarely.

Myth 3: Lipomas never cause pain.
Lipomas can cause pain if they form above blood vessels and grow large in size that can compress the blood vessels underneath.

Myth 4: You can remove lipoma at home.
Lipoma removal may be possible at home. However, it is not recommended as it is hard to maintain a safe and sterile environment at home. In addition, you may not be able to remove the fatty lump completely or end up hurting yourself.

When to consult a doctor ?

If there is a lump growing under your skin in any part of the body, make sure that you see a plastic surgeon. It is important that you seek timely treatment and get evaluated properly to rule out other serious conditions, such as liposarcoma as the symptoms can be misunderstood.

In case you already know that the lump on your skin is a lipoma, visit the doctor if you notice any changes in the shape or size of the lump, especially if it becomes painful. The healthcare professional will check the lipoma and suggest a suitable treatment plan.

Our lipoma Specialist

Questions to ask your doctor

How many years of experience do you have in treating lipomas?

What board are you certified from?

What are the different treatment options for lipoma?

How will the surgery be performed?

What are the different techniques used for lipoma treatment?

What are the risks and complications of surgical removal of a lipoma?

Is surgery the only solution to get rid of lipomas?

How should I prepare for the surgery?

What is the success rate of lipoma surgery?

How long does the surgery take?

Do I need to stop other medications for lipoma treatment?

Lipoma Treatment Cost in India

Lipoma surgery costs around Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 1,00,000 approx. in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, etc.

The exact cost may vary from one patient to another based on the following factors:

The choice of hospital
Surgeon’s fee
Diagnostic tests
Hospital admission/discharge cost
The number, location, and size of the lipoma
Post-surgery care, support, and follow-ups

Due to all these factors, the cost will vary a lot from one patient to another.

Insurance coverage

Lipoma removal is covered under insurance in specific circumstances. Many people wish to undergo lipoma surgery because of cosmetic reasons. In such scenarios, the treatment expenses are not payable through insurance.

In other cases, if the lipoma is causing pain and growing continuously, its treatment will be considered important. Due to this, the treatment may get covered under insurance. To confirm this, the patient will have to talk to the insurance providers and they will provide clear answers about the coverage and other terms and conditions.

If the treatment can be covered under insurance, you can file a claim to pay for the treatment. Or you can use the reimbursement method to get a claim against the sum of money you paid for lipoma treatment.

Latest Research

Phase 2 Study for the Treatment of Superficial Lipomas
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Lipoma Pathology
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Continuing Education Activity- Lipoma
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FAQ

Is lipoma cancerous?

No. Lipoma is not cancerous. It is a collection of fat tissues only. However, there are other types of skin lumps present, such as liposarcoma that are cancerous in nature. It is often advised to get the skin lump to diagnose to rule out the possibility of cancer.

What type of anesthesia is used during lipoma excision surgery?

Lipoma excision surgery can be performed under local as well as general anesthesia. The type of anesthesia that will be used during the procedure is decided after evaluating the overall health of the patients. The anesthetist will ask some questions to find out if the patient is allergic to some or any component of the anesthetic agent. Only then, he/she will decide what type of anesthesia is used.

What are the chances of lipoma recurrence after surgery?

Usually, there are almost negligible chances of lipoma recurrence after it is removed surgically. But you should also understand that there are still chances that you may get lipomas again in other parts of the body.

Why does lipoma operation cost vary from one patient to another?

The overall cost of lipoma surgery varies from one patient to another due to the following factors:

The number and size of the lipoma
The location of the lump
The severity of the condition
Surgeon’s fee
Diagnostic tests
Hospital admission/discharge expense
Medications

How long will it take to recover after lipoma surgery?

On average, the recovery after lipoma surgery takes around 1-2 weeks. You will be able to resume normal activities from the next day. You may require more time to recover if you had multiple painful lipomas.

How long will I have to stay in the hospital?

Lipoma excision surgery is performed on an outpatient basis. Thus, there is no need to stay overnight in the hospital. However, in some cases, the doctor may ask you to stay overnight to monitor your health.

Can a lipoma go away on its own?

In some cases, there is a minor possibility that the fatty lump will go away on its own. However, there is no natural remedy known to be effective for the treatment of lipomas. The best method to get rid of the lump is to get it removed surgically.

Facts and statistics around Lipoma:

Statistics

-Out of all cases of lipoma, 47.8% of cases are of simple lipoma and 26% of cases are of fibrolipoma.

-Lipoma affects males (60%) more than females (40%).

-Only 1% of lipoma cases grow to be painful and need surgical treatment.

– From the year 1976 to 2017, only 49 published cases have been found in India.

-The term lipoma was first used in 1709 to describe benign tumors.

-Around 1% of people across the globe suffer from lipoma. It typically occurs in adults between the age of 40 to 60 years.

-Approximately 5% of patients suffer from multiple lipomas.

-Lipomas are relatively small in size (1-3 cm) but they can grow very large too up to 10-20 cm and weigh around 4-5 kg.

-Lipoma can be removed through a simple excision and cures a majority of cases. And only about 1-2% of lipomas recur after excision.

-Around 1% of lipoma cases are actually liposarcoma which is a malignant tumor.

-Out of all cases of lipomas, about 15%-20% of cases involve the head and neck region whereas 1%-4% of cases are related to the oral cavity.

Want to get rid of the fatty skin lump? Rely on the Best Plastic Surgeons of Indian to Undergo Lipoma Removal Surgery

Pristyn Care has become a leading healthcare provider for the treatment of all kinds of conditions, including lipoma, sebaceous cyst, etc. In recent years, we have worked hard to build trust among our patients. And this has been possible only because of our esteemed team of doctors. We have a highly experienced team of plastic surgeons who specialize in treating lipomas through minimally invasive surgery.

All of our doctors have had ample training and expertise in removing lipomas without causing major scarring. They understand that surgery can affect the aesthetic appeal of a person. Thus, they pay special attention to the removal of these fatty lumps. They combine the lipoma excision technique with liposuction to break the fat deposits precisely and then extract them carefully.

You only need to book an appointment with our doctors and consult them to learn more about lipoma surgery.

Get Comprehensive Medical Care for Lipoma Treatment At Pristyn Care

Pristyn Care is very well known for providing optimal care to patients under all circumstances. We understand our patient’s needs extensively and focus on assisting them at every step of the treatment journey.

Our medical and non-medical staff work in coherence to simplify your surgical experience and provide the following services:

Treatment at the best medical centers of India.
A team of expert plastic surgeons that excels in minimally invasive lipoma removal surgery.
Medical coordinators assist the patient round-the-clock, including insurance paperwork and claim process.
A dedicated care buddy who handles all the hospital-related formalities as well as personal needs of the patient.
Multiple payment options and finance service that includes No-Cost EMI.
Free cab service on the day of surgery.
Post-surgery care and follow-ups without any additional charges.

As you can see, one of our representatives will always be at your service to streamline every aspect of the treatment. We take full responsibility for providing the best-quality medical care cost-effectively. To learn more about our services and benefits, give us a call.

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