What Is Benign Lipoma? Its Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Options

What Is Benign Lipoma? Its Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Options . A lipoma is a slow growing soft and lumpy mass composed of fat cells. It is a benign tumor (non cancerous) which develops just beneath the skin and above the muscles in the subcutaneous tissue. Lipoma can develop at any location where subcutaneous fat is present. The usual site is in the back, shoulder, neck and arms. Lipomas can be large or small, single or multiple.

Lipoma is easily identifiable as it smoothly moves under the skin with slightest pressure. The tumor feels doughy when you press it with your fingers. As would be expected, a lipoma situated deeply is liable to be mistaken for other swellings.

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Except for its unsightly appearance, it is a harmless tumor. Most lipomas are painless, but some may give rise to an aching sensation which may radiate.

Lipoma primarily develops in middle aged individuals or there is an underlying family history. Lipoma does not require any treatment unless it is causing pain on account of its site, size and appearance.

What Causes Benign Lipoma?

The exact cause for development of lipoma is not known, but there is a strong family history in the background. If your parents or siblings have lipoma, you may also be at a risk of developing the same.

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Below are given some of the risk factors for development of lipoma:

• Tendency in families for development of lipoma
• Though obesity does not cause lipoma, it is not uncommon in people who are obese
• It develops in middle aged people. Lipoma is rarely found in children
• Decrum’s disease also called adiposis dolorosa is characterized by tender deposit of fat, especially in the trunk is an associated condition
• Familial multiple lipomatosis is an inherited condition. It is characterized by development of multiple benign lipomas

Symptoms Of Benign Lipoma

• Lipoma is a slow growing soft mass under the skin. There may be a single or multiple lipoma
• When pressed upon, lipoma moves between the fingers. It is mobile and not fixed to the underlying structure
• They are most commonly found on shoulders, back, arms, neck, although no part of the body is immune
• It has soft doughy feeling
• Relatively, lipoma is small in size, may be the size of a marble. Sometimes it can grow larger in size
• They are non tender and painless, unless they enlarge enormously and compress the nearby nerves or the blood vessels

Benign Lipoma Treatment Options

There is no treatment needed for benign lipoma. If it is causing trouble due to its enormous growth, or its location where it compresses the underlying nerve giving rise to pain and tenderness, your doctor may recommend surgical removal of lipoma.

Steroid injections may shrink the size of lipoma, but it does not completely cure it. In other procedure called liposuction, a needle in introduced in the lipoma and fatty lump is removed.

If you do not intend to eliminate lipoma surgically, there are ways and means which can reduce them with alternative methods.

• Herbs: chickweed is an herb found effective in reducing the size of lipoma. It can be used as tea or it can be applied on lipoma as an ointment. Boil 2 teaspoons of dry chickweed for 10 minutes to prepare a tea. Chickweed based ointment are available in health stores.
• Thuja occidentalis is another herb found effective in reducing the size of lipoma. Put 5 drops of tincture in a cup of water. Rub the solution on lipoma 3 to 4 times in a day.
• Since lipomas are made up of fat cells, reducing overall body fat will help to reduce the size of a lipoma. Avoid eating saturated fat in your diet.
• Green tea is a fat burner. It is known to increase the metabolic activity in body and consequently burn the fat.
• Exercising regularly also reduces body fats and thus the fat cells present in lipoma.
• Though there is no scientific evidence, certain techniques such as acupuncture are claimed to reduce the size as well as alleviate symptoms of pain and discomfort caused due to enlarged compressing lipoma.