Multiple lipoma removal

A lipoma is a slow-growing, fatty lump of harmless mass that is not cancer and most often situated between your skin and the underlying muscle layer. Usually, detected in middle age, lipomas can feel doughy and usually isn’t tender, moves easily with slight finger pressure. Some people have more than one lipoma.

Symptoms

Lipomas can occur anywhere in the body such as:

• Under the skin – especially in the neck, shoulders, back, abdomen, arms and thighs.
• Soft and doughy to the touch – moves easily with slight finger pressure.
• Generally small – typically less than 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter, but they can grow.
• Sometimes painful – Lipomas can be painful when they grow and press on nearby nerves or if they contain many blood vessels.

Lipomas usually do not require treatment. However, the doctor will recommend removal of the lipoma only if the lipoma is painful or is growing. Lipoma treatments include:

• Surgical removal – Most lipomas are removed surgically by cutting them out. Relapse after removal is uncommon. Possible side effects are scarring and bruising.
• Steroid injections – This treatment shrinks the lipoma but usually doesn’t eliminate it. The use and potential of injections before surgical removal is still being studied.
• Liposuction – In this treatment, a needle and a large syringe are used to remove the fatty lump.

Cool sculpting

CoolSculpting, or cryolipolysis, is a nonsurgical body contouring procedure. A plastic surgeon uses a device to freeze fat cells under the skin. Once the fat cells have been destroyed, they are gradually broken down and removed from the body by the liver.

Common immediate side effects of CoolSculpting include:

• redness
• firmness
• pinching sensation
• minor swelling
• tenderness
• bruising
• stinging
• muscle cramping

A person may continue to experience these side effects for a few weeks after the procedure. Other common side effects that a person may experience in the first few weeks after CoolSculpting include:

• itchiness, especially a few days after the procedure
• diarrhea, as dead fat cells are removed from the body
• a feeling of fullness in the throat after treatments involving the neck or chin region

CoolSculpting is also only approved and proven effective on a limited number of body areas.Body regions where CoolSculpting is considered safe and effective for removing minor fat deposits include:

• abdomen
• thighs
• under the chin or upper neck
• flanks
• under the armpit
• back
• buttocks and under the buttocks

Ultrasound lipolysis

Laser lipolysis is a type of cosmetic surgery. It uses laser energy to change the shape and appearance of your body. There are other kinds of lipolysis that involve injections or radio wave treatments, but laser lipolysis is the most common technique.

Benefits

• There’s little risk of infection to the treated area.
• The risk of scarring is minimal.
• The recovery period is shorter than with some other procedures. You can usually resume your normal activities about a week afterward.

Lipolysis uses lasers to break fat cells apart, reducing the volume of fatty tissue. This process is also said to tighten the skin in the area where the treatment is applied. You may find that your skin is smoother and tighter than before.

What to expect during the procedure

This procedure usually takes less than an hour, and you’ll be awake the entire time.

• You’re prepped in a sterile environment, most likely in your doctor’s office, and given sterile scrubs or a gown to wear.
• A local anesthetic is then injected into the area where you’re having lipolysis.
• Your doctor makes a very small (sometimes only a millimeter!) incision at the area where you have unwanted fat deposits.
• Your doctor inserts the laser underneath the top layer of your skin through the incision. They’ll move it back and forth under your skin from different angles. During this time, you may feel some heat or even a cold sensation. Because of the anesthesia, you shouldn’t much discomfort.
• The fat deposits that are broken up by the laser are either massaged out of the area or vacuumed out, depending on how much “melted” fat there is to remove.

Abdominal lipectomy

Belt lipectomy is a type of surgery. It’s done to remove the loose skin and fat around your waist or “belt line.” This is also called an abdominal lipectomy, tummy tuck, and panniculectomy. You may have this surgery after you lose a great deal of weight. This is often done after weight-loss surgery

What happens during a belt lipectomy?

• An anesthesiologist will give you general anesthesia. This is done so you will sleep through the procedure and won’t feel anything. In rare cases, you will get spinal anesthesia and a medicine to relax you. You will be awake is this case.
• The anesthesiologist will carefully watch your heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs.
• You will get antibiotics during and after the surgery. This is to help prevent infection.
• The surgeon will make a cut where your buttocks and lower back come together. This is done to remove extra skin and tissue.
• The surgeon continues the cut on your front lower belly. He or she also removes the extra skin and tissue from there. You may need to be repositioned on the operating table.

What happens after a belt lipectomy?

• When you wake up, you may have a tube underneath your skin. This will drain fluid that builds up in your wound. You may have some pain afterward. You can take pain medicines. You should be able to eat a normal diet once you are ready.
• You may need to stay overnight in the hospital after your surgery. Some people may be able to go home the same day as surgery. But this isn’t common.
• Your surgeon will tell you how to care for your wounds. Tell your surgeon if you have severe draining, redness, or a fever. If you have life-threatening symptoms, call 911. These include sudden shortness of breath, a lot of bleeding, or chest pain.
• Your surgeon will also tell you how to limit your movements after surgery. You shouldn’t expose your wounds to too much force as they heal. Follow all of your surgeon’s orders carefully. This will improve your chances of a smooth recovery.
• You will see the results of your surgery right away. They will last if you keep a stable weight. If you are not happy with the results of your surgery, talk with your surgeon. Some people need another surgery for best results.