Does it look I have lipoedema stage 1? (Photo)

Question

I'm a 34 years old female . No children . I workout 3-6 times a week and follow a healthy diet. I'm 175cm and 78kg.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

I have been treating legs and lipedema for years. you may have and if you do then liposuction with internal heating is key. you can use the fat to shape the hips/buttock and give you a really good outcome. the earlier you treat the better.

my whole practice is doing lipoabdominoplasty, or at least liposuction with internal heating (which is not the gold standard for skin tightening with body contouring).

the smaller you are before liposuction the more contouring you can get from the procedure. most of my liposuction patients get pre and post surgical optimization with hormonal therapy (see link to help boost their weight loss before surgery and help them heal after).

You need a formal evaluation by an expert in body shaping and contouring to determine what is best.  Traditional liposuction awake and smart liposuction are old methods and do very poorly for tightening skin or significant skin tightening or contouring.  Small problem areas can be improved slightly by these methods.  The best in body contouring not only removes fat with energy devices like VASER ultrasound but also internally heat the skin with radio-frequency devices such as J PLASMA/RENUVION, InMode BodyTite, ThermiRF to heat the under surface of the skin and tighten it at the same time as fat removal. These combinations are called 4D HIDEF VASER contouring and can only be done by a well . trained body contouring specialist. At the same time fat should be harvested, PRP and stem cells added and injected into muscles or indentations/cellulite to get body shaping and contouring.  This is known as a Brazilian butt lift when you inject the fat to the buttock for contouring and lifting, but fat can also be used in areas such as the chest/breast, arms/shoulders, calves and face.  Cellulite should also be treated with cellfina, sculptra, subcision and/or fillers such as bellafill, renuva synthetic fat, or sculptra.  If skin is very loose before surgery then it will need to be removed such as lower abdominal skin (tummy tuck/abdominoplasty), breast skin (breast lift), arm skin (brachioplasty).  Overall you need a full assessment, but simple liposuction alone will not tighten skin and needs a combination of various methods -- fat removal, skin tightening, defining, fat grafting, skin removal -- to get the best in body contouring and body sculpting.  Dr. Emer.

Thomas Wright, MD · Answer

You may have early stage lipedema [Stage 1] in your legs. Lipedema is a disease of disproportionate subcutaneous fat accumulation in the legs and arms. Or simply, fat tissue in your legs that is out of proportion to the rest of your body. There are other conditions such as lipodystrophy, lipohypertrphy and some type of lymphedema that can cause a similar shape to your legs but they are not as common as lipedema. Or you may just have genetically chunky legs  Other signs and symptoms of lipedema include pain, leg heaviness, swelling, easy bruising and relative resistance to weight loss. The only way to know for sure if you have lipedema is to be evaluated by a doctor who has sufficient knowledge and experience to properly diagnose lipedema. We don't generally diagnose lipedema if there are no symptoms or swelling.  Unfortunately a recent study found that 92% of doctor did not recognize lipedema when women with lipedema presented to them in their office. If you have symptoms or simply want to know for sure recommend you find a physician knowledgeable about lipedema to help you get properly diagnosed.

Boris Volshteyn, MD, MS · Answer

Lipedema in 34 year old with no kids and healthy diet.It is difficult to diagnose Lipedema based on the photographs. Traditionally, it is accumulation Of painful fat in the lower half of the body and extremities. If you do not have pain, easy bruising, hypersensitivity of the skin, most likely, you do not have Lipedema. If you do have those symptoms in addition to diet and exercise resistant fat, Then you have to be evaluated by a specialist familiar with Lipedema. What do you have to remember is that lipedema is much more than just painful fat. Lipedema is more of a connective tissue disorder with hypermobile joints, easy bruising, Loose skin, etc. Many patients have symptoms associated with Ehler Darlos syndrome, Which is a connective tissue disorder. It is important to know if you have it not only because of lipedema but because of other symptoms associated with it and because of increased risk of anesthesia regardless of what procedure you will have performed in the future. Current recommendations in patients with this condition require overnight stay after any general anesthesia because of risk of possible complications and abnormal reaction to anesthetic, which has nothing to do with Lipedema itself. Also, some patients may eventually develop may turner syndrome, also known as pelvic congestion syndrome. It is associated with pain in the left buttock possibly radiating to the leg, pain during intercourse and heavyness in a genital area. Usually this happens later on in life because of weakness of the wall of the veins. I’m not suggesting doing anything right now but it may not be a bad idea to go through appropriate testing to make sure for the future. Regardless, power assistant liposuction Or water assisted liposuction may be a reasonable treatment options for you. If you have Lipedema, it may be covered by insurance. If you do not, then it will be considered cosmetic procedure. I would not suggest any form of Laser liposuction if you have Lipedema.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

The hallmark of lipedema is change over time.

If you think your lower extremities are slowly getting larger then you may have lipedema.

I would suggest being very careful and not have weight fluctuations.

Get on the scale every day and maintain a consistent low weight throughout your life to minimize possible progression if you have this condition.

Chronic weight fluctuations can be very unforgiving.

Best,

Mats Hagstrom MD

Robert T. Buchanan, MD (retired) · Answer

Most people talking about lipoedema, even some physicians, are using a term very loosely to mean accumulation of fat in the extremities. In fact, I am not aware of a specific "disease" of lipoedema. Different people deposit fat differently if they gain weight and it sounds better to have a disease rather than just excess fat from weight gain. What you appear to have is simply where you put excess fat, even if you are thin elsewhere. You are, in fact, why we developed liposuction and would be an excellent candidate for such. If you are interested in improving these areas, make sure you see an expert with many years of experience..

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