LIPOMA REMOVAL

It’s not a good idea to attempt a lipoma removal at home—for many, many reasons. Risk factors include:

• Improper diagnosis. The average person can’t diagnose a lipoma, or distinguish between a benign fatty lump and a malignant tumor. “Your board-certified dermatologist can tell you if the lesion is a lipoma or not, and they will either remove it for you or recommend another course of action,” says Dr. Amy Paul, a dermatologic surgeon in Grand Junction, Colorado. “Any growing or changing lesion on the skin should be examined before deciding what to do with it.” Fat cells may require a lipomabiopsy prior to diagnosis.
• Pain. Your doctor can provide local anesthetics (which require a prescription) to make surgical removal painless. (Unfortunately, there is no lipoma treatment without some type of surgery.) Forgoing numbing to perform a lipoma removal at home could result in significant discomfort. 
• Infection. Because your bathroom, bedroom, or kitchen OR is not a sterile environment, you risk infection by opening up your skin at home.
• Injury. Without proper surgical tools and knowledge of anatomy, you’re apt to damage surrounding structures (nerves, muscles, blood vessels) and/or cause excessive bleeding, potentially landing yourself in the hospital. This is especially true if you don’t have a clear view of the lump.
• Scarring. Anything less than expert suturing can leave a gnarly scar.

Unlike malignant tumors called liposarcoma, lipomas are benign (non-cancerous) fatty tumors. The most common soft tissue tumor, they can appear anywhere, including your chest, arms, armpits, shoulders, neck, and thighs. 

There’s no medical consensus yet on why they form, but they tend to develop slightly more often in men, especially between ages 40 and 60. Some types of lipomas (including conventional lipomas, spindle celllipomas, and pleomorphic lipomas) can run in families and may have an underlying genetic cause. But there’s no activity that predisposes people to developing them.

Lipomas have some common characteristics. They are typically:

• Symmetrical, with a round or oval shape.
• Encapsulated and moveable; they don’t spread or attach to surrounding tissue.
• Painless, though large lymphomas can become painful if they put pressure on nearby nerves.
• Less than two inches wide, though they can grow up to six inches.

Most don’t cause any problems and can be safely left alone, but a growing lipoma can affect nerves, joints, or blood vessels.

Deep-seated lipomas under the fascia (the connective tissue and collagen that provides the structure for organs and muscle) and intramuscular lipomas can create complications, such as obstruction or hemorrhage, as the fat cells grow and press on organs. Luckily, this happens very rarely—with less than 1% of all lipomas.

Before you book a removal appointment, visit a dermatologist or plastic surgeon for a lipoma diagnosis.

“Most lipomas can be identified through a physical exam alone,” says Dr. Castillo. “Additional radiological testing, like an ultrasound, CT scan, X-ray, or MRI [magnetic resonance imaging], might be performed to confirm the lipoma diagnosis, especially if the lipoma is deep within a patient's tissues.” Larger lipomas may require a biopsy.

Chicago plastic surgeon Dr. Anil R. Shah also advises that your doctor will need to rule out the possibility of a lipoma in a lymph node or a liposarcoma.

Doctors are divided on whether lipomas can turn into liposarcoma, but their appearance is the same, and neither are painful, so it’s smart to get properly diagnosed. 

Some deep lipomas can be confused with liposarcoma. The Cleveland Clinic says, “Recognizing the difference between a lipoma and a liposarcoma (cancer) should be completed by an expert in sarcoma.”

Pros:

• Surgically removing a lipoma prevents it from becoming larger. 
• Surgical removal also confirms that there’s nothing more serious (like cancer) causing the growth. Sometimes doctors mistake liposarcoma (a malignant tumor) for deep seated lipoma, so removing it proactively could save your life.
• Once the growth is gone, you’ll likely feel more comfortable and be more satisfied with your appearance. 

Cons:

• There’s a small risk of infection or irritation at the removal site. 
• The procedure will result in a small scar, so consider the location if that’s a concern.
• If fat cells are left behind, there is a chance of lipoma recurrence in the same site or surrounding tissue.

• Average Cost:
• $4,428

• Range:
• $1,000 - $9,500

Your lipoma removal cost will depend on the size and number of lipomas being removed, the type of anesthesia used, your provider’s level of experience, their practice location, and the type of facility where your procedure is performed. 

Insurance and medicare coverage for lipoma removal varies. “Patients should check with their insurance company for coverage. Typically, lipomas causing symptoms like pain can be covered,” says Dr. Castillo.

If your surgery is being done for cosmetic reasons, your claim may be denied or only partially covered. 

You can finance your treatment with CareCredit.

See our complete guide to lipoma removal costs

The lipoma removal photos in our gallery have been shared by the surgeon who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.

Your surgeon’s office should provide you with instructions for preparing for your surgery. The University of Michigan advises that you:

• Shower or wash the treatment area with an antibacterial soap before the procedure. 
• Do not shave the skin around the lipoma or cyst.
• If you’re being sedated or having general anesthesia, follow instructions on when you can eat or drink (usually nothing ingested for 6 hours ahead of time).
• Let your doctor know what drugs you’re currently prescribed. Possible complications exist if you’re on ACE inhibitors for blood pressure, anticoagulants or blood thinners other than aspirin, Coumadin, Plavix, and/or Factor X inhibitors.

A smaller, subcuteanous lipoma (just beneath the skin) can be removed under local anesthesia alone. For surgical removal of large lipomas, you'll be given either local anesthesia with IV sedation or general anesthesia. 

One of the most common and effective lipoma treatment options is surgical excision: simply cutting it out. Your surgeon makes one or more small incisions and removes the fatty lump. If they’re concerned, they may then send it to a lab for testing or lipomabiopsy. 

Some dermatologists favor a minimal incision and “squeeze” technique, which results in a less noticeable scar. Your doctor will create a tiny incision with a scalpel or punch, squeeze the lipoma out, and close it up with a stitch or two. Dr. Ellen Janetzke, a plastic surgeon in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, cautions that “this method would theoretically have a higher incidence of recurrence.”

In cases of a large lipoma removal, liposuction may be recommended to minimize the incision and the possibility of causing a deformity. Liposuction may also be the best course of action for lipomatosis, adiposis dolorosa, and Madelung’s Disease, rare conditions marked by multiple lipomas.

A 2017 study found a high patient satisfaction rate using liposuction for lipoma removal, with no recurrences in the 12-month follow-up period, but some doctors aren’t sold on this lipoma cure. They say it leaves open the possibility that some of the mass will be left behind, increasing the risk that the lipoma will grow back after surgery. 

“Lipoma removal through liposuction is rarely successful long-term. The better option is direct excision through small incisions,” says Dr. Castillo. “Liposuction can’t reasonably be expected to remove the entire lipoma,” which he says means that the tumor will eventually recur.  

Once the mass is removed, the surgical site is cleaned, and bandages are applied to help accelerate healing and leave the most minimal scar. 

The University of Michigan recommends that a friend or family member accompany you for your procedure and take you home afterward, even if it’s done under local anesthetic.

Lipoma removal recovery time depends on the size of the lipoma and extent of your procedure. Most patients don’t need any time off work, but talk with your healthcare provider about whether you’ll need any actual downtime. 

• “Patients may have discomfort for a couple of days after the procedure, but there is little avoidance of normal activities,” says Dr. Castillo. 
• Skip exercising for the first day or two to prevent damage to your stitches. Your doctor may use either absorbable sutures, which dissolve on their own, or nonabsorbable sutures that will need to be removed after about five days.
• You will have some discomfort while you heal. Most people note soreness rather than pain, so if you’re experiencing pain after lipoma surgery, let your doctor know; it could be a sign of infection. 
• Bruising, swelling, and tenderness at the incision site can last a few weeks and are entirely normal, but if swelling increases or the site gets more tender, contact your surgeon. Keep in mind that taking blood thinners or over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin, ibuprofen, or Aleve can increase bruising.

Lipoma removal results are typically permanent, but it’s possible for lipomas to grow back in the same area or elsewhere. 

The risk of recurrence is higher with large lipomas. But because they grow slowly, it could be five years or more before you notice a new growth. At that point, you may want to return for another removal.

Lipoma removal is a low-risk, outpatient procedure with no serious side effects.

Since lipoma treatment is a minor plastic surgery, you may have some bruising, scarring, contour irregularity, bleeding, infection, or difficulties with the healing process.

You also may see a slight indentation under the skin where your lipoma was removed.

Burney R. and Cherry-Bukowiec J.R., What to Expect Before Surgery for a Lipoma or Epidermal Inclusion Cyst (2019)Wollner T., What Is That Lump? (2017)

McTighe S. and Ivan Chernev I., Intramuscular Lipoma: A Review of the Literature (2014)The Cleveland Clinic: Liposarcoma (2019)

Nanda S., Treatment of Lipoma by Injection Lipolysis (2011)

Peev I., Spasevska L., and Tudzarova-Gjorgova S., Liposuction Assisted Lipoma Removal – Option or Alternative? (2017)