Small Lipoma on Face Removal?

Question

Hi.. I've been diagnosed with a small lipoma on my face (less than 1.cm); i first noticed it abt 2 years ago and i was bit smaller .. It has a brighter color than my skin. I was offered three treatment options 1.to shave it off 2.to use an electrical current to 3.to use laser All three options were discussed to resurface the skin structure .. I was told that the brighter skin color could not be treated..also i was told that i should do it right away before it gets bigger; wut do u think?

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

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Edwin C. Pound, III, MD · Answer

A lipoma is a fatty mass that is under the skin. The three treatment options that you mentioned sound like treatments for a skin disorder, not a lipoma. Lipomas generally need to be removed by making a small incision in the skin and cutting the lipoma out. This can be done under local anesthesia in an office setting in many cases. If this is indeed a lipoma then there is no emergency for removing it, however, the do have the potential to increase in size over time.

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

Piesotherapy is an excellent approach for treating most kinds of lipomas. In this procedure, following local anesthesia, a small punch (a cookie-cutter like instrument) is used to punch out a tiny hole in the center of the lipoma through which the fatty contents may be coaxed out. In most cases, the entire lipoma can be removed in this fashion, even if it is much larger than the tiny opening created by the punch--very much the way a good-sized infant may be delivered through the vagina. The wound \opening can then be stitched with only a very few, extremely fine stitches, which typically results in a tiny, often barely perceptible scar.

	Alternatively, a trial of mesotherapy might be considered. A series of tiny injections of minute amounts of fat dissolving agents, such as desoxycholate (with our without concomitant injectable steroids and salmeterol)--spaced at approximately eight week intervals--may be tried and if successful in shrinking the lesion no surgery need be performed. I have practices both on the Upper East Side of NY and in Israel, and have had success with the latter approach in Israel where this form of lipolytic (fat dissolving) mesotherapy is approved and readily available.

Damon B. Chandler, MD · Answer

Lipomas of the face are are benign fatty growths that are beneath the skin and typically removed with precise cosmetic surgery. Lasers and devices cannot help in this situation, and shaving the skin is not an option that makes much sense. 
Please chose a board-certified MD Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon or Facial Plastic Surgeon for your procedure as they are expertly trained in facial lipoma removal.  Your surgeon should be able to provide you with some reassurance as well as guidance in the care of your healing wound. Any mole or lipoma removal may leave some scar, discoloration, or skin surface irregularity, but typically any scarring or redness fades substantially with time.  Many patients travel great distances to see me for my expertise in this sort of plastic surgery and I have treated thousands of face moles, cysts, keratoses, and lipomas. Please be realistic that any method of removal may leave some color changes, scarring, or contour irregularity or depression that can take 6 months to a year to heal fully. Good luck in your search!
Damon B. Chandler, MD
Harvard-Penn Trained Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon

Norman Bakshandeh Day, MD, FACS · Answer

A lipoma is a fatty mass underneath the skin. There is no benefit or use for any laser or laser like contraption for treatment

Stephen Weber MD, FACS · Answer

I am confused by your question. Lipomas are not effectively treated by shaving, electrical current or lasers. The only permanent solution for removal of a lipoma is to make a small incision in the skin and remove the lipoma in its entirety. This can be performed in the office under local anesthesia. If you do, in fact, have a lipoma and were advised to undergo one of the first three options you mentioned you should seek a second opinion with a board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACS

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