Is This a Lipoma? The Dr. Told Me To Go Home and Ignore It. (photo)

Thank you for the question.

Given that the lesion is increasing in size and is obviously causing you anxiety ( enough to go to the emergency room and seek online consultation),  you may want to have the lesion removed. This will be the only way to know for sure what the lesion is (pathologic evaluation).

You may want to be seen by her primary care physician who can refer you to the appropriate surgeon for evaluation and possible excision.

Best wishes.

 

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

Thank you for sharing your question and photograph.  In most cases a lipoma can be diagnosed with an in-person examination and needs no formal testing.  Removal can be done with a small, in-office procedure to avoid the aesthetic concerns and prevent continued enlargement.  Hope this helps.