Do I Have to Get Lipomas Surgically Removed?

Lipomas are diagnosed based on clinical examination or diagnostic studies. You should always seek the advice of an experienced surgeon who will identify whether the lump is clinically suspicious for malignancy or whether it appears, by history and exam, to be consistent with a benign lipoma.
If it is a lipoma, it rarely will improve with time. Delay in treatment only makes it more difficult as the lesion increases in size and becomes more intimately involved with adjacent structures.
Most experienced plastic surgeons will remove lipomas with small, well hidden, and discretely placed scars.

Since lipomas are noncancerous, they do not require any treatment.
However, if a lipoma becomes bothersome, infected, or continues to grow, you may chose to have it removed. Your doctor would simply excise the lipoma by making an incision to the area.