What Are my Lipoma Treatment Options?

Lipoma removal is usually a simple procedure under local anesthesia. Majority of lipomas can be removed like an "marble" from a small incision. This takes about 5 minutes to perform. As a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon I close the incision with disolvable sutures so there are no sutures outside for the best cosmetic result. There are some Lipomas that are larger and more fibrous and attached which require more work. The cost for removal is about... more

Surgeons are taught to be suspicous of lipomas when their size exceeds 5 cm. Of course, the best course is to resect ( excise) the lesion and send it to the pathologist for review. Giving the pathologist a soupy specimen with fat cells in it does not make it possible to determine if you removed the whole thing, especially if liposuction was used. It could potentially tell the pathologist that there were malignant cells. That is not very helpful in of itself. Could you have left some of... more

Surgery is the best option for lipoma removal. Liposuction has been used, but in my opinion it is a less optimal choice as some of the cells which constitute the lipoma may be left behind (and therefore, the lipoma may recur). Many lipomas can be removed with a relatively small incision so its important to discuss with your doctor how the surgery will be performed and how large the surgery scar will be.

Once diagnosed with a Lipoma you usually have the option to remove it or leave it be. Many patients have them removed simply for cosmetic reasons. They can be unsightly and in an area that is bothersome to the patient, so many patients request removal. I remove Lipomas frequently and they are removed under an outpatient surgical setting with a local anesthesia. The removal is typically done with a small incision to the area and a subcutaneous suture is placed in with a small steri strip... more

A lipoma is a benign (non-cancerous) fatty tumor which can appear almost anywhere on the body.  They are usally firm and round and can become unsightly, requiring removal primarily for cosmetic reasons.  Most can be removed under local anesthesia as an outpatient with minimal pain and quick recovery. The specimen should be sent to a pathology lab to confirm the diagnosis. They are usually removed by plastic surgeons or dermatologists. The entire lipoma, including it's outer... more

Lipomas are soft and the localized areas of fatty growth. As lipomas lived deep to the skin, treatments such as creams or lasers will have no effect on them. If the lipoma is concerning you and you would like it removed, the best treatment is surgical excision through a small incision that is placed in an inconspicuous area so that it is not easily noticeable and heals well.  

Lipomas are benign fatty tumors composed of adipocytes (fat cells). The most definitive treatment for a lipoma is surgical excision using a very small incision placed on the skin. This is a common procedure that I perform in an outpatient setting.

Lipomas are usually removed because of a change in characteristic (i.e increase in size), compression of a critical structure (i.e. compresses a nerve) or for aesthetic reasons (i.e. don't like how it looks). Frequently, they can be excised easily. Liposuction of lipomas is possible, but increases the chance that they will regrow since they are not removed completely. In rare situations, a mass that is suspected to be a lipoma turns out being a malignant (cancerous) mass. This is why any... more

Hello, When you say you have a lipoma, you are more often than not guessing. Unless the lump has been at least partially removed and examined by a pathologist you are not absolutely sure. Surgery to remove lipomas can be simple. Some try to make it more complicated. It is a matter of philosophy. I usually remove them via conventional surgery and offer to send them for pathology. Afterward I do a little plastic surgery to encourage the operative wound to heal the best it can....

The lipoma is a large ball of fat. It can be surgically excised, it can be liposucitoned of Smart Lipo can be used to also tighten the skin above it.

Since lipomas are exceedingly rarely cancer, there is no reason that lipomas have to be removed from a medical standpoint, as long as you are sure that it is a lipoma. To be sure that it is a lipoma, one needs to have had a biopsy and look at it pathologically. If the lipoma is unsightly, and you wish to have it removed, there are two options for removal in my practice. Direct excision - an incision is made right over the mass, and then the lipoma is dissected away from the... more