Why Did Lipoma Grow Back After Removal?

Question

I have a lipoma removed from my back by surgery and now its grown back - WHY?

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

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

Michael A. Jazayeri, MD · Answer

I agree with Dr. Aldea.  Either the lipoma was incompletely removed, or it was not a lipoma and something more serious.

	Are you sure it was a lipoma?  A lipoma grossly looks like a lipoma and your surgeon would have suspected otherwise.  However, if it was sent to pathology, review the report and make sure the final diagnosis was a lipoma.

Peter A. Aldea, MD · Answer

The most common reason for a re-growth of a Lipoma is a possible incomplete removal of the original Lipoma leaving elements behind. A second and much more rare reason is that it was NOT a Lipoma after all but a low grade cancer masquerading as a Lipoma. The re-growth needs to be removed with wider margins this time and the pathology slides need to be compared by a good pathologist to make sure to get to the bottom of why this happened.

Why Did Lipoma Grow Back After Removal?

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Why Did Lipoma Grow Back After Removal?

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Everything you need to know about Lipoma Removal

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.