Do I have lipedema? (photos)

Question

my mom has hugely inflamed thighs /calves / hips & lower body. ive always struggled to lose weight in my lower body & im starting to realize that i may hve it too.

David Amron, MD · Answer

I am going to start off by qualifying myself as a specialist in lipedema surgery. Most of my colleagues would describe me as one of the pioneers of lipedema surgery in the United States, I’ve performed lipedema surgery for over 10 years, I’ve performed close to 1,000 surgeries, and currently perform 6-8 lipedema surgeries per week. I work closely with other lipedema specialists around the country, such as Dr. Karen Herbst from the University of Arizona. I have extensive knowledge of the condition itself, and I’m very involved in the lipedema community. I lecture about the condition and do what I can to increase awareness for lipedema, not only in the united states but around the world. Sadly, this is definitely a very under recognized condition in the United States. We are seeing more information available via the internet, as awareness is growing, on sites such as the Fat Disorder Research Society, and I personally have a website: “advancedlipedematreatment.com” that provides a lot of good information about lipedema. To answer your specific question, I do a lot of photo/phone consultation to diagnose the condition based on the way in which it looks, but symptoms are very important to consider along with the patient’s history. We don’t learn about lipedema in medical school, but it affects about 11% of the female population. It usually presents in puberty, and tends to progressively get worse as time goes on and can commonly worsen with hormonal changes due to pregnancy or menopause. The diseased fat tissue is not very responsive to diet or exercise. It is a combination of fat distribution in a certain way along with swelling. The lipedema patient commonly has a characteristic disproportionate fat distribution with a “tree-trunk” look to the legs, puffy and often painful fat distributed from the buttock down to the ankles, circling all the way around the legs, and in most of the cases I’ve seen it also affects the upper arms. Usually there’s a family history of similar symptoms, as it tends to run in families. Most patients find the condition painful, limiting their quality of life, and often easily bruise.

As time goes on, there is a lot of fibrotic changes in the subcutaneous area that makes the swelling worse. It is a combination of both what we see and the symptoms specifically. In your case specifically, just looking at the photographs it is difficult to tell. You do not have the characteristic type of lipedema fat distribution that usually goes all the way around and down from the outer buttock area to the ankles. It does look like your thighs are full , but the majority of fullness is in the outer and inner thighs, with some cellulitic changes. Based on the photographs alone, I would say it is unlikely you have lipedema and more likely just genetic disproportion of fat distribution. On the other hand, if you told me you experience some of the common symptoms such as pain or swelling, and if those symptoms ran in your family, I would say it could be likely that you have lipedema. Really a proper evaluation and diagnosis with someone who understands lipedema well is the way to go about getting properly diagnosed and if recommended, proper treatment.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Lipedema affects nearly 25 million women in the US. As a board certified plastic surgeon and a board certified lymphedema expert, I manage complex lip edema cases with a combination of liposuction and skin tightening procedures. 
Most cases of lipedema improve with liposuction and fat lipolysis with laser and Coolsculpting. A combination approach is ideal. 
Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Jaime S. Schwartz, MD, FACS · Answer

Lipedema is a very underdiagnosed condition in the US and the world. This is mainly from a lack of understanding. There are a lot of symptoms and differences from just weight gain. However, I would need to understand a lot more about your particular case. As an FYI, there is a small group of us that is working very closely with the lipedema community to educate as well as develop Standard of Care Guidelines for the US. 
For more information please visit our lipedema educational website.
Hope this helps!
Jaime S. Schwartz, MD, FACS

Diplomate, American Board of Plastic Surgery 
Fellow, American College of Surgeons
Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery
USC Keck School of Medicine
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
#RealSelf100Surgeon

#RealSelfCORESurgeon

Tania Medina de Garcia, MD · Answer

Hello dear, thanks for your question and provided
information as well.. This is the surgical
procedure that revolutionized cosmetic surgery becoming one of the most
performed cosmetic procedures. Subcutaneous tissue or fat is removed in order
to contour the body in a way that is harmonious and pleasing to the senses. It
can be performed in almost all regions of the body such as the neck, chin,
abdomen, back, buttocks, thighs, arms and ankles. Usually done through a small
incision in the skin through which a cannula connected to a vacuum is applied,
it can be performed alone or in combination with other procedures. After
liposuction your body is going to be really swollen for at least 2 to 4 months
after your surgery. It is important for you to wear your compression garment
for at least 6 months, the first 3 months 24/7 and then the last 3 months at
least 12 hours per day for your body get use to not having the faja for so many
time. When you remove it, your body can get swollen and also you can have pain.
Remember to also compress your body to prevent a seroma which is an
accumulation of liquid that has to be drained, it is hard to touch and also
really painful. Bruises are completely normal for almost 3 months from surgery,
that’s why is better for you to use a bruising cream and apply it all over your
body 3 times a day. To prevent bad circulation and swollen legs, use
compression socks. Brazilian butt lift can be performed with the same procedure
and for a month it will be swollen and it will drop a little bit without losing
it’s shape if you use your garment.. If you’re going to perform liposuction on
your inner, outer, anterior, lateral, postetior thighs, be careful and consult
with your surgeon what’s best for you, sometimes we have more extra skin than
fat, that can cause severe sagginess on our legs, which can be only be reversed
performing a thigh lift…

Do I have lipedema? (photos)

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Answer: Do I have lipedema?

Answer: Do I have lipedema?

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Everything you need to know about Lipedema Surgery

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Do I have lipedema? (photos)

Answers (4)

Answer: Do I have lipedema?

Answer: Do I have lipedema?

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Lipedema Surgery

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