Lipomas are tumours of adipose tissue or, in simple words, fat that forms in soft tissues. They are usually benign and grow at a slow pace. Lipomas generally form in the subcutaneous or subfascial part of our body. These show up as soft, rounded, movable masses. They are usually painless and asymptomatic. But proximity to nerves or functional blood supply to the tumour could cause pain on touching. Lipomas are, by themselves, harmless, but they may become malignant by location. This happens if they form in visceral tissues and organs, hindering their normal function. Lipoma formation usually starts in middle-aged people, when they are 40-60 years of age. Women are more prone to single isolated lipomas. Whereas men tend to develop them in clusters, a condition called lipomatosis.
Lipomas are removable by liposuction or steroids. But these methods have a high rate of recurrence as all the fat may not get removed. So, lipoma excision is the best way to tackle the problem. The doctor will scan and determine the size and location of the lipoma first. He will use a marker to mark the position of the entire tumour on the skin. He will then mark a small strip of skin in the middle of the tumour. This section of skin will get excised after the surgery to prevent redundancy. He then disinfects the area with Betadine(povidone iodine) or Betasept( chlorhexidine). Next, he administers 1-2% lidocaine for local anaesthesia and epinephrine as a vasoconstrictor.
The surgeon first cuts all along the small strip of skin down to the lipoma. He will use this strip to haul the lipoma out using a clamp. He uses a scalpel or scissors to separate the lipoma from the surrounding tissue. Then, he pulls the whole lipoma out of the excised hole and stitches up the place. Sometimes. if the lipoma did not cause a huge bump, the surgeon may not excise any skin. He will cut the skin, keeping one side attached. Once the lipoma is out, he reattaches the skin like a graft. This method produces almost no scarring.
If the lipoma is small, he may remove it by enucleation. In this, the surgeon makes a small incision over the tumour. He will then squeeze out the tumour if it is mobile. If the adhesion is greater, he may have to use a curette to separate it from the surrounding tissue first. The incision is then stitched up.
Preparation to Do Before the Treatment
Bathe with an anti-bacterial soap before the surgery. Do not shave the area of the tumour or use any harsh chemical that may cause irritation or tenderness.
Stop smoking, drinking, blood thinners and painkillers a month before the surgery. If you take ACE inhibitors, the doctor will ask you to not take it on the day of the surgery.
If your doctor is going sedate you for the surgery, he will ask you to not ingest anything 6 hours before the surgery.
You can expect some pain, swelling and bruising in the area. Use ice packs and pain medication for that. But if these persist or increase, if there is fever, foul-smelling drainage or bleeding from the incision, you must contact your doctor.
Do not let the area get wet for at least a week. Also, stay away from heavy lifting or strenuous exercise. Wear loose-fitting clothes for a week at least.
You can expect complete recovery in 10 days. Stay away from smoking and drinking for a month. Restart the discontinued medicines according to the instructions of your doctor.
Lipoma excision itself may be a simple procedure, but doctors must take care of a lot of details. They must be able to deduce whether a mass is a lipoma or liposarcoma. If the lipoma is not a conventional one like angiolipoma, it may require an experienced hand to operate. Contourshyd has expert doctors who can handle any kind of case of any complexity. We provide care to you from the start to the end of the treatment like no other hospital in Hyderabad.
The cost of lipoma excision surgery in India varies according to size, number and location. Lipomas in the head neck and upper back are harder to operate on than those on the extremities or the trunk. The cost of lipoma excision in India costs between ₹3500 and ₹30,000.
Lipoma excision is the surgical removal of a lipoma through an excision in the skin.
Lipoma surgery is not at all painful. It is done under local anaesthesia. Lipoma surgery does not need large incisions either. So there is little pain afterwards.
A lipoma excision surgery takes around 10 days to heal completely. If it does not,it is advisable to visit the doctor.
The exact cause of lipoma formation is not known. Some hereditary disorders can manifest as lipomas. These include Gardner’s syndrome , Madelung’s disease , hereditary multiple lipomatosis and adiposis dolorosa. Studies also notice a coection between physical trauma and subsequent lipoma formation.
Lipomas usually do not hurt when pressed. But it some cases, they might, due to pressing down on a nerve or containing blood vessels. Lipomas due to adiposa dolorosa also hurt.
Lipomas usually do not grow beyond 2 inches. But cases where they got as big as 8 inches are not uncommon.
Normal conditions do not cause a lipoma to burst. But blunt trauma can cause the fibrous septum covering the lipoma to tear and free the adipocytes.
It is not possible to cure a lipoma by exercise or dietary methods. Surgery, steroid injections and liposuction are the only methods to remove it.
A lipoma will not grow back after surgery if the entire mass is successfully removed. But if any adipocyte is left, it may proliferate and grow the lipoma back.
Lipoma surgery may or may not leave a scar. It depends on your body and how it heals itself.