Lipoma

A lipoma is a common, benign tumor composed of fatty tissue. Lipomas are soft to the touch, sometimes moveable, and are generally painless. They grow very slowly, and have not been found to become cancerous (malignant liposarcoma, however, also arises from fatty tissue). Many lipomas are small but can enlarge to sizes greater than six centimeters. Lipoma is commonly found in adults from 40 to 60 years of age but can also be found in children. 1/1000 of the general population has a lipoma.

Types

The most common kind (known as "superficial subcutaneous") is located in the subcutaneous tissues of the head, neck, shoulders, and back, that is, just below the surface of the skin, although lipomas are found anywhere in the body that fat is located. Most occur on the trunk.

"Lipomatosis" (ICD E88.2) is a diagnosis of multiple lipomas present on the body.

Causes

The tendency to develop a lipoma is not necessarily hereditary, although it can be in a syndrome like hereditary multiple lipomatosis where more than one lipoma develops over time. Some doctors believe that a minor injury may trigger their growth. There is also a weak correlation of lipoma incidence patients being overweight, but this has not been conclusively proven.

Dercum's disease or Adiposa Dolorosa is characterized by fatty lipomas under the skin that cause pain.

Types include:

1. . Superficial Subcutaneous
2. . Intramuscular
3. . Spindle cell
4. . Angiolipoma Benign lipoblastoma
5. . Lipoma of tendon sheath, nerves, synovium or other

Treatment

Often, treatment of a lipoma is not necessary, unless the tumor becomes painful or restricts movement. Many people have them removed for cosmetic reasons. However, if the capsule of the lipoma is not completely removed during the surgery, it may grow back.

A lipoma may be removed by simple excision, but liposuction is another option that often results in less scarring if the lipoma is soft and has a small connective tissue component. However, liposuction has a greater tendency to not remove the entire lipoma, which often results in re-growth.

There are new methods being developed that are supposed to remove the lipomas without the scarring. One of them is removal by the use of protein injection. Another method being developed is the use of ultrasound waves to destroy the lipoma. This can be compared with the removal of kidney stones that uses the same sort of technique to pulverize the stones.