Lipoma Surgery

Lipoma is not a cancerous ailment. It is a fatty lump of soft tissue that grows between the skin and underlying layers of muscle. These lumps are mostly detected in middle aged people who already have a history of disorders such as Cowden syndrome, Madelung disease or Gardner syndrome. In rare cases, lipomas have been found in children too. Lipoma causes are not determined yet but it mostly attributed to genetic factors in the family line. Lipomas can occur anywhere in the body wherever storage of fat is evident. Internally, they may occur in esophagus, stomach and small intestine. Externally, they may appear on neck, back, thighs, buttocks, upper arms and armpits. Usually lipomas are harmless. But if they start causing pain and discomfort, lipoma surgery becomes necessary.

What is Lipoma Surgery?
Lipoma surgery is a method of removing the huge lumps of fatty tissue that grow beneath the skin. The procedure starts with a local anesthetic injection around the lipoma. Once the sensitivity to pain has subdued completely, an incision is made to remove the tissue. After the removal of lipoma, the wound is stitched up or is covered up with sutures and clips. In case, the lipoma has grown in deeper layers of skin tissue which is not visible externally, a general anesthesia is used. During one surgery, multiple lipomas may be removed. The entire surgical procedure lasts for about 20 minutes for removal of one lipoma. However, if there are multiple lipomas, the procedure may last for 90 minutes or more. In some cases, where the lipomas are not very big, non surgical lipoma treatments like steroid injections and liposuction are used to shrink the fat tissue.

Recovery
The part of the body that has undergone lipoma removal procedure may not be very functional for the first two weeks post surgery. So doctors advise the person to practice gentle motion exercises to keep the operated limb functional. The operated part is dressed up and the dressing remains intact for three days. Once the dressing is removed, there are sterile stickers on the wound which are to be untouched for a week after the surgery. They can be removed by your surgeon in the next visit. Pathology reports are usually ready within 3-5 working days post surgery. If these reports indicate no infection, then the person is perfectly fine. A couple of weeks post surgery, the person can resume his normal routine.

Risks
Lipoma surgery complications can increase if there are large lipomas occurring in multiple locations of the body internally. In such cases, there is a high risk involved as the doctor has to take proper care to avoid cutting nerves or muscles in the process of lipoma removal. This kind of risk is posed in the surgery if the lump is deep inside the tissue (not visible to naked eye) or is found somewhere internally in the body. Complications can lead to damaging nerves, injuring blood vessels, internal bruising and infection.

Cost
Lipoma removal is not always under the insurance cover as most of the time, it is done for cosmetic reasons. However if the condition of lipoma is serious indicating infection and pus secretion, it can be covered under medical insurance with a letter from the doctor citing medical complication. Lipoma surgery cost primarily depends on the size of lipoma, its location in the body and the number of lumps that have erupted in the body. Depending on these factors, the cost usually ranges between USD 350 - USD 2500. If general anesthesia is used, the cost may shoot more, going as high as USD 3500.

Lipomas are not harmful as long they do not cause pain or do not become a reason for other diseases and ailments. In most cases, people opt for surgery only for cosmetic reasons. Lipoma surgery is not very painful and the recovery time is very less. But in case there is pain in the operated part of the body even after 3 weeks post surgery, then it is best to seek immediate medical attention.