Can a lipomas still grow in same area if a piece was left in?

Question

I had a lipoma removed 5 years ago but a piece was left in because I f was close to my knee muscle. Now my leg goes to sleep, could it be another lipoma.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Lipomas are benign fatty tumors that occur under the skin and less commonly within the muscle. They are associated with mild discomfort and a lump underneath the skin. It is always best to talk to an expert plastic surgeon to determine whether the lipoma is possibly a cyst or a tumor or hernia. We would have to remove the lipoma to be sure that it is not something else and we usually do this by sending it to a pathologist for evaluation. If a lipoma is painful, then an exam is needed to make sure it is not compressing on a nerve or whether the diagnosis is different. Aftercare for a lipoma includes gentle compression and Plato’s Scar Serum twice daily on the wound.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Robert M. Lowen, MD · Answer

The leg going to sleep is a bit indistinct, since there are higher levels of nerve impingement, e.g. the lumbosacral spine with disc herniation, that can cause it. You would need to check with a neurologist to pinpoint the area of numbness and see what work up is indicated.Yes, if a lipoma is not fully removed, it will gradually regrow. Usually lipomas don't cause numbness or legs going to sleep, but there are rarer ones, that can be deeper around nerve structures, so if this is bothering you, I would get it checked out.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear becky2215,lipoma can grow if it was't completely removed but it is unlikely that it is the cause of your problems. It is hard to tell for sure without an examination. I would suggest you to consult your doctor. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Jeremy S. Hurren, BSc, MBBS, FRCS (Plast) · Answer

Lipomas can regrow particularly if they were incompletely removed. I am not sure why being close to the knee muscle would affect removing a lipoma. I frequently remove lipomas from with in muscles although usually this would be under general anaesthetic.I am not sure what 'my leg goes to sleep' means. Compression on a nerve can cause numbness in the area that the nerve supplies with feeling. it would be most unusual, but not impossible, for a lipoma to compress a nerve and cause it to stop functioning. However, I would suspect that there is another explanation. I suggest you see a suitably qualified and experienced surgeon so they can examine you in person and give you an opinion.Best wishes.

Fulvio Urso-Baiarda, MD, FRCS(Plast) · Answer

I'm not sure what you mean by your leg going to sleep - do you mean parts go numb or weak? A lipoma or any other swelling could have such effects if pressing on a nerve, but generally they would have to be pretty large to have that kind of effect, and a different cause such as nerve entrapment (or perhaps post-surgical injury) is more likely. 
To answer your original question - yes absolutely, a lipoma can recur if parts are left behind, which is why treatment by liposuction has a higher recurrence rate than formal excision. However any residual lipoma tissue would generally continue to grow at around the same rate it had done before treatment - if that was very slow then you will probably never notice a recurrence.

Can a lipomas still grow in same area if a piece was left in?

Answers (5)

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