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.