Dangers of Lipoma on the Scalp?

Question

I have a lipoma on my scalp. I got opinions from four different doctors and I guess it's uncommon for lipomas to be on the scalp. What are the dangers of having a scalp lipoma on the occipital region of the head?

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Lipoma removal on the scalp can be removed and is not dangerous if it is in fact a lipoma.  Rare cases of fatty tumors have been described.  Most often it is removed under local anesthesia comfortably and best to have a lipoma removed with a minimal incision.  Best Anil Shah

Darrick E. Antell, MD, FACS · Answer

Lipomas are not “dangerous” per se.  However, the only way to get a confirmed diagnosis is to send the specimen to the pathology lab.  There are infrequent cases of liposarcoma which is a bona fide cancer.  The other problems with lipomas is that they can get much larger and they do not go away on their own.  I have taken many off of the scalp as well as virtually every other area of the body.  Depending on the size and location you may be able to have the procedure with only local anesthesia.

Matthew Richardson, MD · Answer

If a lump on the scalp is truly a benign lipoma, the only real danger would be a cosmetic deformity, but there is no way to know if a lesion is truly benign without removing it for analysis by the pathologist. Surgical excision of lipomas is usually straightforward and involved making an incision over the lipoma. The lipoma is then removed by dissecting it safely away from the normal surrounding structures. The risks of lipoma removal would be similar to most any other surgical procedure, and would include bleeding, scarring, infection, numbness, and the need for future surgery.
While lipomas on the body are more common than lipomas on the scalp, I would not consider lipomas on the scalp to be rare - it is something I see in my practice relatively frequently. 
All the best,

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Lipomas are rare on the scalp. Most of these bumps are known as trichilemmal cysts and occur on the hair bearing area.

Scott Trimas, MD · Answer

It is a relatively easy procedure to remove a lipoma from the scalp. It does continue to grow over time and can be the source of headaches or neck discomfort. It may also displace hair growth. They rarely if ever become malignant. Most physicians can remove it piecemeal through a smaller incision so you may want to inquire from that avenue.

Harlow Hollis, MD · Answer

Lipomas of the scalp are generally not dangerous at all.  Lipomas  on the scalp are quite uncommon. More common are trichilemmonas which are also called pilar cyst or wens. They are cysts of the hair follicle apparatus and are benign as well. Lipomas and or wens are easily removed under local anesthetic. Once the incision is made they literally pop out quite easily.I would remove them in one piece so as to be sure it was totally removed thus prevent any recurrence of components left behind.

Steven Schuster, MD, FACS · Answer

Dear Cho
In most cases, a lipoma can be removed under local anesthesia without shaving hair. Most of the times, the lipoma will pop out with a small incision that can be closed with a few sutures or staples. It is rare for these to be malignant but I recommend removal as the only thing they do is grow albeit slowly so you might as well remove it while it is still small.
Good luck!

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