A lipoma is a slow-growing, fatty lump that’s most often found between your skin and the underlying muscle layer. They usually feel doughy and aren’t often tender. They move easily with mild pressure. Lipomas are usually detected in middle age. Some people have more than one lipoma.
Though it is a type of cyst, a lipoma isn’t cancerous. They are typically harmless. Though treatment isn’t generally necessary, you may want to have it removed if the lipoma bothers you.
In the video below, Dr. Vincent Gardner performs a lipoma removal from a patient’s leg. Be sure to turn on the volume to hear Dr. Gardner explain what lipomas are, how they form, and how they are treated.
From the Video
We had an interesting case. Though we mainly treat veins here at The Vein Institute, we also do some other interesting things from time to time. This patient had some masses on her legs. When she came in, we performed an ultrasound and found that the masses appeared to be benign fatty tumors. These are called lipomas. They are very common, we see them all the time. A lot of people have them on their arms, trunk, back, or legs. We find them all sorts of places. Some patients will have multiple lipomas and they can cause discomfort, which is the case with this patient. Therefore, we recommended excision because they were not only bothering her, but they were also enlarging. The video shows a lipoma removal.
Lipoma Removal Procedure
First, we numbed the area with local medication. Then, we made small incisions over the lipomas. Then I just squeezed. Lipomas can be delivered with pressure alone. Once they were delivered outside the incision, we removed them. Lipomas are typically little, soft, fatty tumors that are benign. Fortunately, they are pretty tell-tale on ultrasound or on physical exam as you palpate the area. The lipomas move around beneath the soft tissue. Dr. Pimple Popper is extremely popular and this is the kind of procedure that she performs all day long. Lipomas are just fun to remove.
See other procedure videos in our Video Gallery or on our YouTube Channel.