Is a 4cm lipoma on the back of my shoulder considered large?

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

Many thanks for your question. You have a small lipoma and removal is straight forward, low risk and can be performed under a local anaesthetic (awake). This is a day case procedure with minimal down time. 
All the best,
Jonathan

Thank you for sharing your question.  A 4cm lipoma is medium in size and should be removed without much issue.  This is routinely done as an in-office procedure.  Your down time will be a few weeks, depending on the exact activity you are hoping to get back to doing.  Hope this helps.

A 4 cm lipoma is considered medium in size. Your activity may be restricted for the first couple of weeks. Ensure you choose an experienced and expert board certified plastic surgeon. 

I don't consider a 4 cm lipoma on the large side.  This should be removed by a simple excision with minimal discomfort and downtime.  An incision will be made and sutures or some sort of closure is necessary so patients should take it easy (i.e. no gym, heavy lifting, etc.) until the incisional wound is fully healed and/or they've been cleared by their doctor.  As far as going about your normal daily activities, however, there shouldn't be any restrictions.  Follow your providers instructions, however, because after they examine you and perform the procedure they will likely have more specifics for you.