I Have a Lipoma on my Neck and It's About the Size of a Golf Ball - What Should I Do?

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

Go see your dermatologist or plastic surgeon to make a proper diagnosis as it could be other things like an epidermoid cyst, swollen lymph node, etc. Once a proper diagnosis is made, if it is a lipoma, you can either leave it since it is benign/harmless, or have it cut out. No other great options for treatment. The scar should be fairly small.

Lipomas are benign growths. However, if you are having pain, it would be easy to remove it under local anaesthesia. Please have your dermatologist, surgeon evaluate it clinically, & then you can proceed with the removal, as needed. Sometimes cysts, or a rare condition called cystic hygroma, can be mistaken clinically for a lipoma.