What is a lipoma?
Lipoma is a fatty skin lump that forms between the skin and underlying muscle tissue. Generally, lipomas are not cancerous and are not malignant. However, lipomas can grow to a significant size, making them a source of unhappiness. In certain cases, they can also be painful.
How is a lipoma removed?
Lipoma removal is typically a straightforward procedure that can be achieved with surgical excision. Despite this, meticulous care is required to help minimise any scarring and ensure a flawless aesthetic outcome for clients.
Lipoma symptoms
Lipomas can develop anywhere on the body, but are commonly:
- Located directly beneath the skin. They most frequently form in the neck, arms, shoulders, back, abdomen and thighs.
- Soft and squishy. A lipoma can be moved around easily, even when only a gentle amount of pressure is applied.
- Typically small in size. While there are cases of lipomas growing to over 15 cm across, most will measure less than 5 cm in size.
- Can be painful in some cases. Lipomas can become painful, if they expand in size and press up against adjacent nerves or if they contain multiple blood vessels.
What causes lipomas?
The precise cause of lipoma growth is not yet known, however, genetics does appear to play a role in their formation, with individuals at greater risk of developing them if a fellow member of their family has already done so.
Other cited reasons for lipoma growth include:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Exposure to radiation
- Serious injury
As well as this, conditions known to cause lipoma, include Dercum’s disease, Gardner syndrome, Familial multiple lipomatosis (FML), Madelung’s disease.
What types of lipomas are there?
There are multiple types of lipoma, and each variant can be safely removed using surgical excision. Despite all the different variations that exist, lipomas all have the same aesthetic and tactile qualities. The type of lipoma that a patient has can only be determined through the use of diagnostic imaging and a physical exam.
- Conventional: This is the most frequently occurring type of lipoma, and contains white fat cells.
- Angiolipoma: Known for being quite painful, angiolipomas contain blood vessels and fat cells.
- Fibrolipoma: a relatively rare type of lipoma that contains fibrous connective tissue and fat cells.
- Hibernoma: These are classified as adipocytic tumours and feature brown fat cells.
- Myelolipoma: Another rare type of lipoma, these are comprised of adipose tissue and other benign components.
- Pleomorphic: Another relatively uncommon form of lipoma that typically grows in the posterior neck, shoulders, and upper back.
- Spindle Cell Lipoma: A rare type of lipoma, spindle cell lipomas most commonly develop in the shoulders or back of the neck.
Do lipomas need to be removed?
While lipomas are benign tumours that generally do not a pose a long-term health risk, there are times when having a lipoma removed is advisable. This includes cases where the lipoma may be causing some degree of discomfort, or instances where the lipoma is visible in a cosmetically sensitive area.
Are there any risks involved with lipoma removal?
Like any surgical procedure, lipoma removal does carry some potential risks. These include:
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Scarring
- Recurrence of the lipoma
- Seroma – A relatively common post-surgical complication, seroma refers to the irregular buildup of serous (clear) fluid beneath the surface of the skin. The seroma occurs at the site of the surgical excision, in the newly vacant space left behind by the lipoma. It may develop shortly after surgery or even weeks later. Generally, the larger the lipoma, the more likely seroma is to occur.
- Haematoma – This concerns the accumulation of blood outside the blood vessels, as a result of damage to veins or arteries. When this happens, the blood can develop into a solid mass beneath the skin.
Contact Skin Clinic Robina
If you have a fatty lump beneath the surface of your skin that you believe may be a lipoma, book an appointment with us today and have one of our specialist doctors examine it for you.