Is It Possible to Completely and Thoroughly Remove a Lipoma?

Yes, one can remove a recurrent lipoma. This is the preferred way, as opposed to liposuction, etc. They can still return. Sometimes one cannot get all of the tumor. Sometimes there may be a small tumor nearby that then grows close to the same area and then is perceived as a recurrent lipoma. Re-do surgery is often more challenging as the tissue planes may not be as pristine. Most often we go through he same incision so as not to create a new one.
Not a bad idea to get an MRI to see the extent of the lipoma. I would also send this tissue to pathology to be on the safe side.

Hi Amy,
Yes. Absolutely.
To do so you and your surgeon need to understand WHY did it recur and how FAST did it recur? Were parts of it left behind last time? Was liposuction used which would make it more likely?
I would do either a CT or MRI to make sure it does not go deeper than the underlying shoulder blade and back muscles. I would have the pathology slides from the last removal looked at again asking if it is possible that this is not your basic Lipoma but something else.
Finally, I would not have waited as long as you had and allowed it to grow so large as this has stretched the overlying skin AND caused a crater beneath which will be seen when this mass is removed.
There are several good guys in Knoxville and I'm sure all are capable of taking care of this for you.
Good Luck.