Are you experiencing visible fatty lumps on any part of your body which is soft in texture and moves when you touch it? This can be a lipoma. Read more in this article about lipoma, its symptoms, causes, treatment, cost, etc.
What is a Lipoma?
Lipoma also known as benign tumours are the accumulation of fatty tissues that form a lump underneath the skin. The texture of lipoma is soft and rubbery that moves and slides when touched with a finger. Benign tumours are so called because they stay in their primary location and are non-cancerous, thus causing no damage to any of the surrounding healthy tissues. Lipomas growth is very gradual and mostly do not cause any pain. However, lipomas look physically displeasing and can cause discomfort in some of the cases, thereby needing removal.
Signs & Symptoms of Lipoma
Lipomas are encapsulated fat tissues of skin colour that may or may not be painful. They mostly appear to be round-shaped of less than 2-metres in diameter that moves when you touch. The detailed description of the signs that confirms a lipoma is given below:
– Located underneath the skin: Lipomas commonly develop in the neck, back, abdomen, shoulders, thighs and arms.
– Soft, wiggly and doughy to the touch: Lipomas are soft and they move easily even with slight finger pressure.
– Small in size: As far as the size of lipoma is concerned, they are typically less than 2 inches (5 centimetres) in diameter. However, they can grow, if left untreated.
– Sometimes painful: If lipomas increase in size or if they contain multiple blood vessels, they press on nearby nerves, causing pain.
Causes of Lipoma
The major cause of lipoma growth is still undetermined, but mostly it has been observed that lipoma starts to form due to the overproduction and overgrowth of fatty cells. In certain cases, underlying medical conditions increase the chances of development of fatty lumps. In certain conditions, your body can even develop multiple lipomas at the same time on different body parts. Some of the underlying medical conditions that causes lipoma are explained below:
– Dercum’s disease: Also known as adiposis dolorosa or ander’s syndrome. It is a rare disorder that initiates the growth of painful lipomas on legs, arms and trunk.
– Gardner syndrome: It is a serious condition that forms polyps along with lipomas and these lipomas have the potential to become cancerous as well.
– Madelung’s disease: This disease is mostly prevalent in men who excessively drink on a regular basis. This condition is also known as multiple symmetric lipomatosis as multiple lipomas grow in the shoulder region and neck area of the person.
The other causes of lipoma include:
– injuries
– faulty gene from parents
– excessive fat deposition
Diagnosis of Lipoma
Self-diagnosis: The self-diagnosis of lipoma is extremely simple wherein you can start by touching the lump and check if it moves or not. But, self-diagnosis is not an appropriate way to diagnose a lipoma. To rule out the possibility that the skin lump is not a cyst, liposarcoma or tumour, it is advisable that you should visit a cosmetic surgeon who can understand and manage the condition better.
Diagnosis by doctor: When you consult a cosmetic surgeon, he will firstly examine the lipoma physically and ask you for the symptoms you are facing associated with the lump. The doctor will also check if the lipoma is causing pain. Post physical examination of the lump, the surgeon will recommend certain diagnostic tests to accurately identify the condition. Tests recommended by a cosmetic surgeon to confirm a lipoma are explained below:
– Biopsy: A sample tissue of the skin lump is collected to detect the signs of cancer growth.
– X-Ray: This test is recommended to view the clear picture of the structural density of the lipoma. It enables the doctor to determine the severity of the condition.
– MRI Scan: This test is done to confirm the exact location and size of the fatty lump.
– CT Scan: This imaging test is done to get better and vivid images of the lump, that it is composed of fatty tissues.
Types of Lipoma
Lipomas, based on its shape, size and its composition, are broadly classified into seven types. The same are explained below:
– Angiolipoma: These types of lipoma comprise blood vessels and fat. Angiolipomas usually cause pain and discomfort.
– Conventional: These are made up of fibrous tissues and fat. Mostly, conventional lipomas do not cause pain and are benign in nature.
– Fibrolipoma: Much like conventional lipoma, fibrolipoma are also made up of fibrous tissues and fat but are large in size and can cause discomfort.
– Hibernoma: While most other lipomas are made up of white fat, hibernomas contain brown fat cells. These lipomas usually generate heat and manipulate the body temperature.
– Myelolipoma: These lipomas comprise fat and tissues that produce multiple blood cells.
– Spindle cell: These lipomas comprise fat cells which are longer than they are wide.
– Pleomorphic: These types of lipomas are made up of multiple fat cells that differ in both shape and size.
Lipoma Removal and Treatment
Lipomas mostly do not go away on their own and if left untreated may increase in size and cause pain and discomfort. Some people after understanding the seriousness of the condition opt for a surgery, however many of them wish to undergo a non-surgical treatment to get rid of lipoma.
Fortunately, there are steroid injections that can be used to inject into the affected area such that the lipomas shrink in size and become unnoticeable. However, this treatment does not provide a permanent cure and can also cause complications if the patient has any past medical history. Thus, if you are suffering from lipoma, you should get in touch with a cosmetic surgeon to understand which surgery is best suited for lipoma removal:
– Lipoma Excision Surgery: This is a conventional method for lipoma removal which involves major incisions and is a painful treatment procedure. During this open surgery for lipoma excision, the cut the skin above the lipoma and remove the entire lump at once, such that the surrounding blood vessels and muscles are unharmed. Mostly, this kind of surgery is preferred when the lipoma size is extremely big and no other surgery can prove beneficial. However, lipoma excision surgery involves multiple risks of infection, hence it is mostly replaced by liposuction surgery.
– Liposuction: As talked above, lipoma is composed of fat cells and tissues. Therefore, liposuction is proving to be an effective surgical technique for lipoma removal. During liposuction, a micro incision is made through which a laser beam is focussed to break down the fat cells. Further, the broken fat cells are suctioned out using a suction device.
Why Choose Glamyo for Lipoma Treatment?
Glamyo Health focuses on simplifying the entire surgical journey for a lipoma patient by offering personalized care and technology-driven assistance at each and every step. Glamyo Health ensures that the patient’s experience during lipoma treatment right from the discovery of the right surgery to booking a consultation, from getting a diagnostic test done to getting insurance paperwork done, from processing admission-discharge facilities to free commute to hospital and back to home, from offering advanced treatment to providing follow-up consultation after the surgery is completely stress-free. Thus, if you wish to experience a seamless treatment for lipoma removal, you can get in touch with Glamyo Health carebuddy today.
Cost of Lipoma Removal
Lipoma removal treatment cost varies based on multiple factors, including choice of hospital, condition, location, number & size of lipomas, surgeon’s fee, diagnostic tests recommended, hospital admission & discharge, past medical condition, post-surgery care, etc. The lipoma removal surgery costs also vary from city to city. Broadly speaking, the lipoma treatment cost in metro cities, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, etc. is approximately between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 1,00,000. However, to get the exact quote, you can get in touch with Glamyo Health medical coordinator at Glamyo health.
As far as insurance is concerned, lipoma treatment is covered under insurance in certain cases. If the lipoma removal surgery is carried out due to aesthetic reasons, it might not get covered. However, if the surgery is recommended by the surgeon for medical reasons and has been enclosed in a prescription, it will get covered under insurance. However, to confirm this, you can get in touch with the insurance team.
FAQs
What is the main cause of lipoma?
The major cause of lipoma is largely unknown. However, as per recent research, it has been found that 20-30% of the people develop lipoma due to past medical conditions or family history. The remaining people suffer from lipoma due to excess fat deposition.
Can lipomas turn to cancer?
No, lipomas are usually benign in nature which do not have the potential to turn into cancerous tumours. The cancerous tumours of the fat cells are called liposarcomas which requires immediate medical help.
Do lipomas go away?
No, lipomas do not go away on their own. The only way to cure lipoma is surgical procedure. Either the lipomas can be removed through convention excision method or through advanced laser liposuction technique.
What is the best treatment for lipoma?
The best treatment for lipoma removal is getting it removed through advanced laser liposuction technique. During the process, a tiny incision is made through which a laser probe is inserted to break down the fat cells and then the fat cells are suctioned out using a suction device.
How painful is lipoma surgery?
Lipoma surgery is almost painless because it is performed under the influence of topic anaesthesia. In case, the patient feels minute pain and discomfort post lipoma surgery, the same is administered with the help of anaesthesia.
How long does it take to recover from a lipoma removal?
It usually takes six to seven days for the scars to heal if the lipomas have been removed from the face and mostly takes 10-14 days on other areas of the body.
Is it worth getting lipoma removed?
Yes, it is definitely worth getting lipoma removed because lipomas look physically displeasing and also, if left untreated, can increase in size and apply pressure on the nearby cells, thereby causing pain and discomfort.
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