Lipoma: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Cost

If you develop a lump just below your skin more or less oval in shape and feels like kneaded dough that is easily moved with a light touch of a finger, it is likely that you have developed lipoma. Lipoma is generally a benign, painless lump of fat. Some term it as a tumour of soft tissue. Lipomas are not cancerous and usually lipoma does not need treatment.

Lipoma may develop anywhere on your body, but they have an affinity for growing on your back, just below the nape of your neck, on your torso. They also are seen to grow on the arms, forehead, and shoulders. Occasionally, people have been found with more than one lipoma.

Lipomas are a common occurrence, especially among the population between 40 years and 60 years. This is not to say that it does not or cannot happen to those not in this age bracket. Lipomas may affect people of any age, including natal lipoma. It happens more to females than males.

Lipomas consist fat. Microscopic studies reveal differences in the make-up of different lipomas. Based on the differentiations noticed under the microscope, the types of lipoma are:

• A lipoma consisting of white, mature fat which is most common, is designated as Conventional lipoma.
• Lipomas showing brown fat in lieu of the standard white fat are termed as Hibernoma.
• Lipomas observed as comprised of an admixture of fat and fibrous tissue are known as Fibrolipoma.
• When fat is observed to be in combination with considerable amounts of blood vessels, lipomas are termed as Angiolipoma.
• Certain tissues make blood cells. When fat is seen in combination with such tissues, Myelolipoma is classified.
• Spindle cell lipoma are those that have fat cells that resemble rods.
• Pleomorphic lipoma comprises fat cells that are in various shapes and sizes.
• Atypical lipoma are those with a very significant number of cells in conjunction with fat.

Typically, a lipoma is identifiable through one or more of the following lipoma symptoms:

• A lump just under your skin, anywhere on your body, and very common on your neck, the shoulders, on your forehead, on your back, the abdomen, the arms and the thighs.
• Slowly growing lumps under the skin anywhere on your body. The lump may be the size of a small pea or bigger.
• A lump that is easily moved at the touch of your fingers with a tiny bit push.
• A lump that is usually painless, even if it is growing.
• Upon touching you get a feeling similar to touching a lump of kneaded dough, depressing under some pressure and moving under the skin.
• Sometimes a lipoma may cause pain.
• Lipomas, in general, do not spread out into the tissues surrounding them.

The exact reason behind the growth, or lack of lipoma, is undetermined as yet. There is credence to the belief that lipoma cause may be hereditary. The lipoma reasons are often attributed to the following:

• Dercum’s disease: Known by its variations of name as adiposis dolorosa as also Anders’ syndrome, this a very uncommon condition. It promotes the growth of quite painful lipomas. The growth is often on the legs, torso or arms.
• Gardner syndrome: Under an extremely rare inherited disorder that causes growth of several pre-cancerous polyps or adenomas in the colon and rectum. This condition is known as familial adenomatous polyposis or FAP in medical terminology. Gardner syndrome is a manifestation of this condition and leads to many health issues including lipoma.
• Hereditary multiple lipomatosis: As evident from the name itself, this condition gets passed down through generations of the family. There is another name for this condition - familial multiple lipomatosis.
• Madelung’s disease: A condition deeply associated with men addicted to excess alcohol, this causes lipoma growth on the shoulders as well as the neck. Another name for this is multiple symmetric lipomatosis.

In addition to these, liver issues and obesity too are considered as causes of lipoma. Glucose intolerance too may cause lipoma.

Lipoma prevention is considered quite an impossibility in some schools of thought as it is taken to be deeply connected to heredity. According to this school, Madelung’s disease may be somewhat prevented by cutting down drastically on consumption of alcohol.

According to another line of thought, lack of physical action, sedentary lifestyle, lack of activity may be the cause behind lipoma. They advocate regular physical activity, exercise and active lifestyle as measures to stave off lipoma, especially for people in the age group of 40 to 60 years.

The do’s for prevention of lipoma may form a list as under:

• Carry out physical activity to the maximum possible extent.
• Get into an active lifestyle.
• Cut down on consumption of alcohol.
• On a regular basis engage in some form of exercise or workouts.
• Cut down on foods containing fat, oils and ghee.
• Have regular sleeping hours to aid digestion.
• Include plenty of fluids and fruit juices in your daily intake.
• Balance out your diet with fibre, minerals and coloured vegetables, especially green ones.

In the list of the avoidable, include:

• Shedding of a sedentary lifestyle.
• Do not avoid physical activities.
• Do not drink alcohol beyond moderate limits.
• Avoid consuming junk and fatty foods.
• Do not have excess body weight.

Most often, a physical examination for a doctor to diagnose a lipoma. Its characteristic appearance, its mass, the consistency of the lump, its mobility i.e. movement to the touch and the feeling on touch are enough give-aways for physical diagnosis of a lipoma. The skin over and neighbouring the lump goes through scrutiny for any changes showing on it.

Given the modern times, for certainty, your doctor may prescribe the following tests:

• Biopsy whereby a tiny sample of tissue from the site is drawn using a needle and thereafter taken to a laboratory for examination.
• A MRI may be sought.
• You may be prescribed to go for a CT scan.
• Ultrasound tests too may be prescribed.

The last three investigations, which all fall under the image testing category, are usually advised by your doctor when the lipoma is noticed as larger than usual. At times the appearance and behaviour of the lipoma may be unusual. Your doctor may also suspect that your lipoma may have penetrated deeper than just remaining below your skin, in the fatty tissue. An imaging test determines the status of the lipoma beneath your skin and your doctor will prescribe any of the tests that he may deem fit.

Left to itself, a lipoma grows very slowly. After a considerable period of time, with the incipient growth of the lipoma, it may ingress upon nerves as well as your blood vessels. At this stage, as the lipoma gradually presses against them, you are likely to start experiencing pain. As it grows larger, the size of the lipoma too makes it an eyesore on your body.

In extremely rare instances, a lipoma may get infected. This is indicated by swelling on or around the lipoma. The area may feel warm and red. Pain increases under such conditions. There may also be pus that drains from the lipoma and occasionally, red streaks may be seen to be arising from the lipoma.

In very isolated instances, where lipoma borders on the tissue covering the bones, its growth may affect finger movement. When compressing against a nerve, it may radiate pain along the affected limb. Instances of occurrence majorly had such lipoma in the arm. This is termed as parosteal lipoma and are very, very isolated instances.

A lipoma may occur anywhere on your body. The most usual sites of their growth are observed to be:

• The neck
• The arms
• The shoulders
• The thighs

Strictly speaking, there are no definite home remedies for lipoma. The most common concept of warm compress does not work on lipomas, being, as they are, collective fat cells only.

• Some suggest application of natural oils like tea tree oil, sage oil, castor oil, frankincense etc. mixed with regular hair oil, on the lipoma. This home remedy for lipoma is stated as a measure of control of the lipoma.
• Consuming fresh turmeric or about 2 grams of turmeric, first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, is suggested.
• Kanchanar tree bark is believed to be good against any lump on the body.

Foods with Omega 3 fatty acid foods content are stated to be effective for lipoma control. Such foods would be salmon, mackerel or tuna fish, walnuts, chia and hemp seeds.

Lemon fruits too are stated to work against lipomas. So too is flaxseed oil. Well balanced meals too are good for your fight against lipomas. Oats, eggs and foods without starch content are advised for consumption.

Lipoma control diet would comprise of a banned food list comprised of the following inclusions:

• Fatty meat.
• Alcohol.
• Heavy foods.
• Spicy foods.
• Sour foods.
• Potatoes.
• Any food that may adversely affect the liver.
• Food and vegetables containing starch.
• Fried and junk food.

Lipomas grow on the surface. This renders their treatment easy and does not cause much discomfort. Lipoma treatment may be done through several options. Their choice depends on the patient and the condition her lipoma is in.

Here are the common options for lipoma treatment.

• Steroid injections. These are administered for reduction in the size of the lipoma. This does not ensure complete removal of your lipoma.
• Liposuction. This is a method for sucking out and removing the fatty tissue that is the lipoma. While liposuction works well with fatty tissue, the entire mass may not get sucked out by the process.
• Surgical Removal. Surgery is the most effective lipoma removal treatment. Lipoma surgery is a very short procedure. It is extremely easy and hardly causes any discomfort to you. Lipoma surgery ensures removal of the lipoma in its entirety and provides full relief to you.

Injection lipolysis is a new treatment for lipoma that is gaining in popularity in recent times. Injection lipolysis which is also known as lipodissolve uses an injection to dissolve fat below the skin or subcutaneous fat. This new method, which is under further evaluation, steroid injection and liposuction constitute lipoma treatment without surgery.

Excision or removal through surgery is the only known route for complete relief from lipoma. Medically, steroid injection or injection lipolysis are available.

For expert advice and comprehensive treatment of lipoma (single or multiple), get in touch with Pristyn Care. You will get guidance, treatment and care from expert doctors and team.

Lipoma surgery, also known as excision, is a short duration, out-patient procedure, unless it is done under insurance coverage that requires hospitalisation for a day as minimum. It is conducted under local anaesthesia. The mass being just under the skin, a deep cut or incision is avoided. You get a very thin scar. The excision process involves making the incision and removing the fatty tissue and thereafter closing the cut. You are released. A large lipoma may need a larger incision and general anaesthesia, if so required in the opinion of the surgeon.

You may contact us for a comprehensive, cost-effective surgery package for lipoma removal.

Unless it is a cause for pain or cosmetically disturbing or medically needed (e.g. liposarcoma, which is malignant tumour in the fat cells), excision of lipoma is not required. You will be advised for undergoing an excision removing your lipoma mostly under one or more of the following situations:

• When the fatty mass has been diagnosed as cancerous (liposarcoma).
• When your lipoma is observed as having fast growth / enlargement.
• Your lipoma becomes a source of discomfort and pain.
• Turns into an interference for the normal functions of your body.
• Causes a cosmetic disturbance to your appearance.
• When there is diagnostic confusion in confirming the lump as lipoma or any other form of tumour.

Lipoma surgery or excision is carried out under local or general anaesthesia as required for the size of the lump. Under local anaesthesia, you are likely to experience a sense of push or pressure. Pain is most unlikely. If general anaesthesia has been administered, you are unconscious to feel any pain.

The excision of lipoma is a simple, quick procedure. Unless detained for insurance cover needs, you get to go home soon after surgery if the removal has been conducted under local anaesthesia. If under general anaesthesia, you get released after its effects have worn off.

There will obviously remain a bit of swelling or a bruise at the site of the incision. A bit of pain too is likely to persist. All get taken care of and you are completely relieved of the aftermath of the excision within a few days only.

In most locations across India, the indicative lipoma treatment cost is in the range of Rs. 25,000/- to Rs. 1,00,000/-. The cost will vary based on the number and size(s) of lipomas to be removed.

Pristyn Care has extremely cost-effective packages for lipoma treatment with complete care and expert, experienced surgeons at a well organised hospital near you. They are just a call away.

Excision or surgery is a permanent treatment for lipomas. Liposuction or steroid injections have been found not to have completely removed the lipomas. Injection lipolysis through which the fatty mass gets dissolved being a relatively new treatment for lipoma, is still under evaluation.

Surgical or any of the other interventions are done for lipoma conditions like:

• Liposarcoma i.e. cancer of the fatty cells.
• Lipomas that cause discomfort and pain.
• Lipomas interfering with normal activities.
• Lipomas that have grown too large.
• Lipomas showing fast growth.
• Lipomas that disturb the aesthetics of the person.

If you have benign, small and slow growing lipoma, that causes you no discomfort and pain, you are most likely to be advised against going in for any treatment.

After your excision, you may be advised to:

• Take some prescribed medicines against pain. If you are known to have reaction against any type or group of medicines, inform your doctor as such. Pain-killers may affect your bowel movement. Seek advice from your doctor against it.
• Ensure you go through the entire dose and duration of medication as prescribed.
• Bathing restrictions may be applied on you for the safety and care of the incision site. Adhere to the norms and duration thereof.
• You may be required to change the bandages at the surgery site every day. Adhere to instructions as given to you in the matter.
• You are likely to be told to keep an eye on the cut for any sign of swelling, pus formation or redness. These are indicative of infection.
• Ensure that you adhere to the rest routine as advised by the surgeon during discharge.
• Application of an ice-pack or ice in a plastic bag on the wound at hourly intervals for about 10 – 15 minutes helps in prevention of damage to your tissues. It also relieves pain and reduces swelling. Ensure that you have a towel in place on the site before applying the ice pack.
• Stick to your follow up visit schedule(s) religiously.

The following side effects may show up after your lipoma treatment:

• There may be some fluid or blood formation under your skin at the surgery site.
• Bleeding may be substantial with blood penetrating through your bandage.
• Your stitches may be seen to be coming apart.
• You suddenly start feeling chills.
• You develop a fever.
• There is swelling or redness or pus formation at the wound. All three too may happen simultaneously. These signify infection.
• You may feel nauseous and even start vomiting.
• You develop itchiness on your skin at and in the neighbourhood of the incision site.
• You develop rashes on your skin.
• Swelling appears on your skin.

Initially, your regular physician would be your first port of call when you observe the lump on your body. Thereafter, you will either be referred or you need to find and visit a dermatologist i.e. skin specialist who will guide you through your lipoma treatment including complete diagnostics.

Pristyn Care with its team of expert and experienced doctors, diagnostic and hospital arrangements offers complete, holistic diagnosis, treatment and care for lipoma.

Lipomas belong to tumours of benign class. They do not have the potential to spread across your body. Nor will they become a threat to your life by spreading into muscles and surrounding tissues.

Lipomas are not carcinogenic and will not change or grow into malignant tumours. Lipomas are easily removed through surgery. This is more for the purpose of aesthetic and cosmetic gain than for any imminent threat to your health or life.

The prognosis for lipoma is good.