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Lipoma Removal - Would Surgery Require an Overnight Hospital Stay?

I have a lipoma on the back of my neck and am planning on having it removed. Can I leave the hospital the same day as the surgery or would I have to stay overnight?

Asked 41 months ago by rudy08 in Minneapolis, MN
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+3

Very rarely does lipoma surgery require overnight stay

Large or small, subcutaneous or other, drain or no drain, rarely do lipomas require hospitalization. Most of these can be resected under local anesthesia and sometimes, for anxious patients, general anesthesia may be preferred. A thorough discussion with the surgeon regarding all of these issues can help make this a comfortable experience for the patient. If a drain is necessary, it can be removed in the office several days after the procedure. Only giant lipomas that are resected require... more
Hratch Karamanoukian, MD
Buffalo General Surgeon
+3

Most likely same day surgery

Unless there is some underlying medical reason that the doctor would want to observe you overnight, or if the lipomas are quite large, you would most likely be able to go home the same day.  It's hard to know without examining you first, but in most cases this is an outpatient procedure.  
Shahram Salemy, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+2

Generally speaking removal of a lipoma is an outpatient...

Generally speaking removal of a lipoma is an outpatient surgery sone under local anesthesia and you will be able to go home sortly after the surgery. The specifics of your medical condition and the location of the lipoma may alter that but I doubt it. You should definitely consult with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who can advise on the best way to proceed with your surgery.
Robert W. Kessler, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon
+1

Usually is a same day surgery

Lipoma is a benign adipose tissue tumour. Surgical excision of a lipoma is a very simple surgical manouver. Usually, lipomas are removed under local anesthesia and don't require hospitalization. Depending on lipoma size and patients clinical particulars -specially if general anesthesia required- a overnight hospital stay may be required.
Enrique Etxeberria, MD
Spain Plastic Surgeon
+1

Outpatient lipoma removal

Generally, I perform removal of subcutaneous lipomas in my office surgery suite. For sub muscular lipomas or if there are medical indications for an ambulatory or hospital setting, this is always same day surgery and does not require an overnight stay. You should consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to insure that, if the lipoma is diffuse or complex, your physician has the ability to completely remove the mass and has the facility to handle bleeding or other complications. more
Robert L. Kraft, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Overnight Stay for Lipoma Surgery?

It would be extremely unusual for lipoma surgery to require a hospital stay. The only exception might be a particularly large or intramuscular lipoma that was difficult to remove or was complicated by bleeding or another complication not related to the lipoma itself. It would also be very rare to have lipoma surgery in a surgery center or in a hospital operating room. The vast majority of lipomas can be easily and safely removed in a doctor's office.
Andrew Kaufman, MD
Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Lipoma surgery is an outpatient procedure

In the majority of cases lipoma removal should be able to be performed in an outpatient setting under local anaesthesia.
Dina D. Strachan, MD
New York Dermatologist
+1

Lipoma removal should be outpatient

Almost all lipoma removal should be able to be performed in an outpatient setting. Delayed recovery from general anesthesia (e.g. fluid overload in the lungs) would be the only reason to have an overnight hospital stay  from an outpatient procedure such as lipoma removal. Therefore, always ask your plastic surgeon or dermatologic surgeon if surgical procedures can be done without general anesthesia.
William Ting, MD
Bay Area Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Go home after lipoma removal

I don't recall ever having a patient stay in a hospital after removal of a lipoma.  In most cases I perform the surgery in our own on-site accredited facility under only local anesthesia.  You can drive yourself home. Tips on selecting a plastic surgeon can be viewed by watching the video below: see video
Darrick E. Antell, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon
+1

Lipoma removal should not require overnight stay.

Unless you have an underlying health issue you have not mentioned, lipoma surgery should not only be an outpatient or office-based surgery procedure, it should probably be done strictly under local anesthesia without sedatives, and certainly without general anesthesia.
Jessica J. Krant, MD, MPH
Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Lipoma removal does not require hospitalization

A lipoma of the back is a very common diagnosis.  Surgical removal of a lipoma under the skin can readily be done under local anesthesia as an out-patient.  Depending on the size, it can be sometimes be done in a well equiped doctor's office, but certainly can easily be performed in the out-patient department of a hospital or an ambulatory surgery center.
Roger J. Oldham, MD
Bethesda Plastic Surgeon
+1

Overnight stay after lipoma removal

After the removal of a lipoma patients can usually go home the same day. However, all lipomas are not created equal. If you have a rather large lipoma that will require a significant amount of undermining and may require rearranging your tissue or muscles, you may be best served with an overnight stay. If you have a lipoma that is very deep and the surgeon has to work around important structures, especially in your neck, they may recommend an overnight stay to make sure that you heal... more
B. Pat Pazmino, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon
+1

Lipomas on the back of the neck a common location

I have removed many lipomas from the back of the neck and it is almost always a straightforward procedure. I have never had a patient who required admission to a hospital for this.
Kevin Brenner, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Lipoma Removal

Most lipoma removals will be performed on an outpatient basis with the patient leaving the operating room and surgery center the same day as the procedure. I often perform these procedures in a clinic setting with local anesthesia.
Raffy Karamanoukian, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+1

Most likely outpatient for Lipoma Removal

Hello,  Most lipoma removal surgery is done under "low level" anesthesia. I do small ones under local (numbing shots) in the office procedure room. Even larger ones can be done under deeper anesthesia in a surgical facility, but usually these patients are able to go home the same day.
John P. Di Saia, MD
Orange Plastic Surgeon
+1

I Treat Almost All Lipomas Using Local Anesthesia

In my experience, almost every lipoma can be easily removed using only local anesthesia right here in the office. Even large lipomas can be removed in the office. Sometimes I employ a liposuction cannula to remove lipomas, as this technique can remove even quite large lipomas while leaving tiny scars (1-3 millimeters in length). I have never had a patient require an overnight stay for lipoma treatment.
Ilya Reyter, MD
Beverly Hills Dermatologist
+1

Lipoma removal usually doesn't require overnight hospital stay

Usually, lipoma removal can be done under the local anesthesia in the surgeon's office, sometimes depends on the lipoma size the operating room is required. Patient can return home on his own shortly after the procedure is done. The only important restriction is to avoid talking any aspirin and products containing the aspirin or Vitamin E at least 10 days prior the procedure to avoid additional bleeding.
Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Lipoma removal is outpatient procedure

Nearly all lipomas can be removed as an outpatient. Personally, I find it quie simple, inexpensive, and patient friendly to remove this in my office. These lipomas occur on the arms and legs and can be easily "popped out" after a small incision. Larger ones and ones on the back or the neck such as yours, are referred to a general surgeon or if the patient requests a plastic surgeon. Lipomas on the face or scalp are referred to a plastic surgeon. There is one semi-tricky lipoma... more
Arnold R. Oppenheim, MD
Virginia Beach Dermatologist
+1

Lipoma removal

Typically lipoma removal can be done on an outpatient basis.  In my San Francisco area practice many times we can remove lipomas in our procedure room under local anesthesia. I hope this helps.
Steven H. Williams, MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon
+1

Lipomas may be above the muscle and underneath the skin....

Lipomas may be above the muscle and underneath the skin. It can then be more readily removed in the office. Some are below the muscle and can still be removed in the office but are also treated in the hospital or surgical center. Some patients might need to stay overnight if a drain is temporarily placed but that depends on the extensiveness of the procedure and the surgeon. Many large lipomas are removed in the office with a small incision and the recovery typically is very smooth, with no... more
Ronald Shelton, MD
Manhattan Dermatologist
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