Do Lipomas Always Continue to Grow?

Question

I'm 25 years old and just got diagnosed with multiple lipomas in my mid to lower back. They are generally small right now, and only cause a little pain here and there. I have noticed most form on my hip bone, and one or two are next to my spine. Should I have these removed now? How quickly do they grow? Do they always get bigger? I don't want scarring, nor do I want them to start showing! Also, will I get lipomas elsewhere on my body? Please help!

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Lipomas are best removed early, before they enlarge.  That is the best way to ensure that the scars are minimized.

Kevin Brenner, MD, FACS · Answer

Most lipomas are innocuous. The problem is that rarely, masses that present like lipomas can in fact be something else. Lipomas do grow and become larger, however they usually grow very slowly. When they become large enough to detect and/or cause pain symptoms they should be removed...mostly to exclude a more concerning problem...particularly if they get larger over a short time span.

Michael Constantin Gartner, DO · Answer

Lipomas  always wrong, however most grow very slowly. the larger they grow the larger the scar would be. Getting them removed when they're smaller you have smaller scars that are less noticeable. I would recommend you find a board-certified plastic surgeon by the American Board of plastic surgery who has a large experience in lipoma removal.Best Regards,Dr. Gartner

Matthew Richardson, MD · Answer

In most cases, lipomas do tend to enlarge over time. For this reason, we often recommend removal of lipomas while they are small. While most lipomas can be diagnosed without surgery, another advantage of removing the lipoma is to obtain a tissue diagnosis by the pathologist. 
Any time an incision is made in the skin, a scar will be present, but treating a lipoma early gives the best change to minimize scarring as the incision required to remove the lipoma will be smaller. Many patients with lipomas tend to get multiple lipomas in various parts of their body, but there is no way to definitively predict this.
All the best,

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

You may have the diagnosis of familial lipomatosis (other family members will have the same problem). Lipomatosis is believed to be a dominant trait in which multiple lipomas are present. Most are discrete, encapsulated lipomas on the trunk and extremities.Although they may increase with weight gain, weight loss doesn't improve them in my experience. Most grow very slowly over your life time.Although this condition is benign, many patients concerned with cosmesis seek removal of individual tumors. Treatment can include simple excision, endoscopic removal, or liposuction if large. Liposuction, whether laser Liposuction or traditional will leave some of the lipoma cells behind which over time will probably recur though it may take years.Find the most qualified plastic surgeon with experience with this problem to take care of you.

William Ting, MD · Answer

Lipomas are lobules of exuberant fatty tissue proliferation that come about because of combination of genetic predisposition and/or trauma. However, lipomas typically do not grow and those that do should undergo excisional biopsy to rule out epidermal inclusion cyst, reactive or malignant lymph node, or very rarely liposarcoma.

Tanveer Janjua, MD · Answer

Lipomas are common benign fatty deposits. These do not grow. Occassionally a lipoma can grow a lot and start causing pressure symptoms in its vicinity. In these cases it should be removed for comfort, relief of symptoms and to establish its histopathology (biopsy).
Regards

Robert S. Backstein, MD · Answer

This is a common question and the answer is generally yes but the pace and extent of growth can vary a lot from patient to patient and even from lipoma to lipoma on the same patient. Many patients will tell me their lipomas haven't grown at all until I remind them that it didn't start as large as it's current dimensions and that in the long run the trend will always be for growth even if it is slow. The best reason to get a lipoma removed early in when it is small is that the associated incision and therefore scar size will also be small. In my practice, my top priority with lipoma removal is to keep the incision and scar size as tiny as possible.

Robert L. Kraft, MD, FACS · Answer

If the lipomas are not removed, they will continue to grow. You may have lipomatosis given the presence of several masses.  If this is the case, you could develop other lipomata in other areas of your body. The smaller the lipoma, the shorter the surgical scar.  On your lower back, which is not subject to continuous sun exposure, the scars should fade over time.

Craig Crippen, MD · Answer

may get larger over time but it is hard to know this.

	most people with lipomas will have more than one and their course is unpredictable.  in order to get rid of them you need them surgically removed so yes, you will have a scar.

	some people have good success with "lipo-dissolve" which is an all-natural combination of phosphatidyl choline and deoxycholic acid (natural substances present in the body) injected into the lipomas.  this will not leave a scar.

	Cheers

Do Lipomas Always Continue to Grow?

Answers (15)

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