Is pain medicine prescribed for removing a lipoma?

Question

I was wondering if they give any pain medicine for removing a painful shoulder lipoma.

Stephen T. Greenberg, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi Heatherwitchey31, thanks for your question! A lipoma can be removed under local or general anesthesia depending on the depth, size, and location of the mass.  After care for a lipoma removal usually includes keeping the incision clean and dry for 48 hours, followed by gentle washing of the wound with warm soapy water.  Patients are usually prescribed a short amount of pain medication such as percocet after a surgery, although most patients choose to take extra strength tylenol or motrin for pain.  I recommend consulting with a plastic surgeon for more information.  Best of luck!

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for sharing your excellent question.  In most instances patients are give a prescription for pain medication to help with the first few days after surgery but if the lipoma is small and close to the skin surface Tylenol or ibuprofen may be sufficient.  Hope this helps.

Thornwell H. Parker, III, MD · Answer

Pain levels can vary significantly depending on:
1. size
2. location
3. depth
4. proximity to nerves or muscles
Removal of a small, shallow lipoma on the back might cause negligible pain.  Whereas, a large, deep lipoma over a mobile joint (shoulder) might produce more pain.  On rare occasion, lipomas can even wrap deeper under muscle.  Your plastic surgeon should be able to examine your lipoma and give you a better idea, although every patient has different pain thresholds.
A small lipoma might only require a little Tylenol.  A more complicated lipoma might necessitate stronger, prescription strength pain medicine, sometimes even a narcotic-based medicine.
If you can immobilize your shoulder, it should help reduce pain and protect while healing, especially during the first couple of weeks.  You could try an arm sling, a figure-of-eight brace, or even wrapping your upper arm against your chest/back (around and under the opposite armpit).  
Hopefully within a couple of weeks you will have significantly less discomfort.  However, you will often have some "sensations" as some of the small nerves in the skin regenerate and heal...tiny nerves in the skin are alway cut when the skin is cut.  You may experience occasional tingling, pin pricking, itching, aching, burning, etc...often normal sensations as a wound/scar heals.

Is pain medicine prescribed for removing a lipoma?

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Is pain medicine prescribed for removing a lipoma?

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Lipoma Removal

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.