I have a lipoma on my back. It has been almost two years. My doctor is sure that is what it is.

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

Thank you for your question.  In most cases a lipoma is a benign tumor of fat cells that does not cause any symptoms or issues, outside of cosmetic appearance.  In rare instances slow growth may cause the lipoma to impinge on a nerve causing discomfort.  The best treatment is surgical excision and as most reside in the fatty later just beneath the skin the risks of surgery are minimal.  I hope this helps. 

Lipomas are benign masses made of adipose tissue--in other words, not cancer, and composed of fat. From your story (2 + years) and photo, I would agree this is likely (99.9%) a lipoma. The way to remove it is with surgical excision. You don't have to be asleep for this; your doctor will inject some numbing medication (similar to what dentists use), remove the mass, and close with sutures (stitches.) You will be left with a simple, straight scar that won't be invisible...but won't be too obvious or unsightly either. Most doctors will be able to identify it as "lipoma" on visual examination, but will send it to pathology for formal diagnosis if you like. There aren't any solutions except leaving it there, or removing it. Since it is causing you discomfort, removing it is probably the way to go. Lipomas do sometimes recur, but usually not. The most common complication of removal is a seroma or hematoma--that is collection of fluid or blood (basically a bruise) that collects where the lump used to be. If that happens, drainage with a small needle is the treatment. It's pretty uncommon to have infections afterwards. You will probably be asked to reduce your activity since it is right over the muscles--so no heavy swimming, baseball pitching until it heals.In final answer to your question, yes, I have seen this before, many times! And no, there is not another solution. But overall, I wouldn't worry, lipoma removal is very common.I