The mass of cells which is made up of fatty tissue that grows under the skin is called lipoma. It occurs in the form of lumps which are painless, harmless that do not create any health issues to a person. It is found that 2% of the population has lipoma in the world. This condition is mainly experienced by females .

It occurs below the skin and is found on different parts of the body, like abdomen, thorax, arms, thighs, shoulder and upper back. It is not necessary to get rid of these masses of tissue unless it causes pain and discomfort. If it is required then its removal procedure is quite simple and an individual can go home at the same time.

Types of Lipomas

Hibernoma – It is a noncancerous tumor and is uncommon which is made up of brown fat.
Conventional – It is a common type of soft and fatty tumor.
Intramuscular – It is a noncancerous fatty tumor which is formed deep inside muscle.
Angiolipoma – It is a combination of large amounts of blood cells and fatty cells.
Atypical Lipoma – It is a noncancerous and aggressive fatty tumor. This type is found deep under the skin and it can grow back frequently.
Fibrolipoma – It contains both fat and large amounts of fibrous tissue.
Spindle Cell Lipoma – These fat cells are slow growing and have long and slender fat cells. It grows in the subcutaneous tissue of the back of the neck.

Lipoma Treatment

It does not require any treatment unless lipoma is not causing pain. A dermatologist can treat if it is bothering you after considering these factors:-

Number of these lumps
How painful is it?
Its size

Lipoma can be treated in 2 ways and these are as follows:-

1) Surgery:-

If it is growing continuously and interfering with other body functions then it can be removed by cutting it out. It is done in the following steps:-

A local anesthesia is given to a person to numb that area.
Then a small cut will be made in the skin.
Now the doctor will squeeze it out.

A patient can go home on the same day.

2) Liposuction:-

It is another procedure to remove fat which is less scarring. It is the most common cosmetic surgery which includes the following steps:-

Local anesthesia will be given to a patient.
A thin and hollow tube is inserted by making a small cut onto the lump.
Through this tube the mass of fatty cells will suck out from the body.

Note:– If liposuction fails to remove the whole tumor then it can regrow.

Causes of Lipoma

The exact cause of lipoma is not sure yet, however, there are some conditions which may cause it to grow.

Mostly common in middle-aged individuals.
These may be inherited which is passed down from your family which is known as familial multiple lipomatosis.
Minor injuries can trigger the formation of lipoma and this type is called post-traumatic lipoma.
Madelung’s disease causes accumulation of fat subcutaneously and gets deposited around the neck, shoulder, hips, upper arms and thighs. It mostly occurs in males who consume alcohol excessively. It also affects nonalcoholic females and males.
Growth of multiple lipomas on the body due to hereditary condition is known as Lipomatosis.
Dercum disease causes painful lipoma with swelling which is a rare condition. It is more prevalent in overweight postmenopausal women than men who can be diagnosed at the age of 35 years.

Characteristics & Symptoms

Lipomas are painless, however, if it is pressed against a nerve and a joint then you can experience pain otherwise it does not show any noticeable symptoms. It has the following characteristics with symptoms:-

They are slow growing.
It can be moved easily with your finger and feels doughy and slips.
These are encapsulated, oval-shaped and painless.
These have thin and fibrous covering which stay in a single spot.
Lipoma are soft and small lump which is 2 inches wide and can be more than one.
It appears in the body where the body has fat cells, such as legs, arms, belly, shoulder, chest, back and neck.

Diagnosis of Lipoma

It does not show any noticeable symptoms, however there are many ways to detect it. If there will be a risk of liposarcoma then doctor will suggest imaging tests and biopsy:-

Physical examination.
Imaging tests like MRI, CT scan will allow the doctor to see its unusual features and appearance.
By collecting a sample of body tissue for biopsy.