Do lipomas hurt?

Written by Liu Huan Huan
General Surgery
Updated on November 06, 2024
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Lipomas are very common in clinical practice, often found on the limbs and trunk. They are relatively superficial tumors located under the skin, composed of fatty tissue. Most patients do not exhibit obvious clinical symptoms and only discover a mass under the skin. The mass typically appears lobulated or flat, is fairly firm, and does not present any redness on the surface. It can be moved, which is a characteristic manifestation of lipomas. However, a very small number of patients may experience pain in the lipoma, at which point surgery can be considered to alleviate the pain.

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Written by Liu Huan Huan
General Surgery
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The difference between lipoma and liposarcoma

Lipomas and liposarcomas are both relatively common diseases in clinical practice. Lipoma is a benign tumor, which refers to the nodular lesions formed by subcutaneous fat hyperplasia. The tumor has clear boundaries, a complete capsule, a soft texture, and grows slowly. Clinically, it can be treated by surgical removal, requiring only local excision. Liposarcoma is a malignant tumor of fat, originating from the interlobular fat tissue. The tumor lacks a capsule, has unclear boundaries, a harder texture, and grows rapidly. Clinically, after diagnosing liposarcoma, surgery must be performed. The scope of the surgery is relatively large, requiring the removal of the lesion and the surrounding tissues to achieve a radical cure.

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Written by Liu Huan Huan
General Surgery
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Lipoma outpatient or hospitalization

Lipomas are relatively superficial and clinically classified as surface tumors, typically located beneath the skin. Clinically, lipoma surgeries can generally be conducted in an outpatient setting, performed under local anesthesia. However, this is not absolute. Some lipomas are larger, and performing the surgery under local anesthesia can be very painful for the patient, complicating the complete removal of the lipoma and affecting surgical operations. In such cases, hospitalization and surgery under intravenous anesthesia are generally recommended, as this allows for better patient cooperation and the thorough removal of the lipoma.

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Written by Ai Bing Quan
General Surgery
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Do lipomas need to be treated?

Lipomas are a type of benign disease. For smaller lipomas, such as those with a diameter of about 1 centimeter, it is not necessary to consider surgical treatment. However, it is important to monitor the size of the lipoma. In cases where the lipoma is larger, for example, exceeding 3 centimeters in diameter, or if there is pain in the lipoma, or if it grows significantly in a short period of time, surgical removal should be considered. The surgery can be performed under local anesthesia, with lidocaine injected into the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Once anesthetized, an incision is made along the skin lines over the surface of the lipoma, followed by strategic separation and complete excision of the lipoma. The excised lipoma should then be sent to the pathology department for pathological examination.

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Written by Liu Huan Huan
General Surgery
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Do lipomas grow?

Lipoma is a type of tumor on the surface of the body, which is relatively common in clinical practice and often occurs in the limbs and trunk. After the development of a lipoma, a mass generally appears under the skin; the mass is tough and lobulated or flat, and the surface skin remains intact, which can be used to diagnose a lipoma. Once a lipoma develops, it may grow larger, but the growth rate is generally slow, and there are usually no obvious clinical symptoms. If a patient notices that the lipoma is enlarging, surgical removal can be considered.

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Written by Ma Xian Shi
General Surgery
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Treatment of Lipoma

Lipomas are a common type of benign tumor that we see clinically. Most cases are benign, and malignant transformation is very rare. Lipomas consist of normal, fatty-like tissue and primarily occur on the limbs and trunk. They have clear boundaries, are lobulated in appearance, soft in texture, and may feel like a false cyst. They are painless and grow slowly. Some can grow very large, and deep-seated ones may undergo malignant transformation and should be treated surgically in a timely manner. In terms of treatment for lipomas, medication is ineffective. Small lipomas can be monitored periodically. If a lipoma is large, affects daily life or aesthetics, or is a deep-seated lipoma that might become malignant, surgical treatment is required.