Can lipoma come back right after surgery? I had a lipoma removed a week ago. (Photo)

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 sharing your question and photograph.  A lipoma would not have grown back this quickly and the fullness present over your left low back is most likely tissue swelling.  This can also cause your feelings of pain and difficulty wearing tight clothing.  These symptoms should all improve with time as you get further out from surgery.  Hang in there!

After lipoma removal, the area may be swollen and painful for several days to weeks. A seroma or fluid collection may accumulate which will resorb with time. If there is bruising, a hematoma may have formed which my take several weeks to dissolve. Normal healing can lead to fibrosis - temporary hardness- in the area which takes weeks to resorb and may be temporarily more noticeable after 7 to 10 days postop. Lipomas may come back, and on occasion, surgeons actually fail to remove them completely, but most likely your palpable wound area is due to normal healing. Give it some more time. Good luck and take care.