Lipomas are benign tumors with the usual name wen. They appear on any part of the body except the palms and feet. Wen are usually painless, but cause aesthetic discomfort. Surgery will fix the problem, but is it necessary? Before thinking about surgical intervention, you need to find out why lipomas formed, whether it is worth removing them and how effective the procedure is.
Rice. 1. Lipomas should be removed promptly
Why do lipomas occur?
To date, scientists have not been able to come to a consensus on why lipomas develop and why multiple lipomas are more common rather than single formations. Lipomatosis has nothing to do with the patient’s weight category or the amount of subcutaneous fat in his body, since formations can appear even in very slender people.
According to researchers, the appearance of wen is associated with a genetic predisposition. It can also be triggered by metabolic disorders in the body, hormonal imbalance, or thyroid disease. Some scientists are convinced that wen occurs due to malfunctions of the gallbladder and liver, as well as due to slagging in the body.
Symptoms of the disease
More often it begins at a young age with the appearance of 1 – 2 “bumps”. Then their number gradually increases, the existing ones slowly grow. The sizes are often from 1 to 5 cm, but sometimes they reach significant sizes - up to 15 cm or more.
Formations are defined as subcutaneous, mobile, soft or dense elastic nodes. Most often painless, but sometimes they can hurt. The appearance of new lesions can be either gradual or “explosive” in nature, when dozens of new wen appear in a short time. Why this happens is still unknown.
When should lipomas be removed?
Most often, patients are interested in the question of whether lipomas should be removed immediately and whether it is possible to do without surgery.
It should be remembered that a lipoma is a benign formation that does not grow into the surrounding tissue. However, the problem is different: these formations tend to increase in size over time. At the same time, the lipoma “pushes apart” the tissues and organs located nearby in order to “win” a place for itself. Due to the pressure in them, metabolism can be disrupted, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences and pain.
In some cases, lipoma removal cannot be delayed. You should immediately consult a doctor if the wen has changed in appearance or you begin to feel physical discomfort. Redness of the skin over the lipoma, itching or peeling should also alert you.
Doctors recommend removing lipomas if they grow near a cluster of blood vessels or nerve cells. It is also better to “play it safe” and cut out a formation that is located in the so-called “high trauma zone” - in other words, in an area that is often exposed to external influences.
The effectiveness of soda in the treatment of wen
Why does soda pull out the wen? Sodium bicarbonate acts like an alkali. The therapeutic effect of this substance is due to the ability to act on deep-lying fat cells and push them closer to the surface, outward.
Expert opinion
Did you know?
When using this inexpensive product, blood circulation in the problem area is also activated, which has a beneficial effect on the process of lipoma cell resorption.
In addition, sodium bicarbonate has a number of other beneficial properties, in particular:
- prevents thrombosis;
- cleanses the walls of blood vessels from cholesterol deposits;
- has an antiseptic effect;
- dissolves salt deposits on the surface of joints;
- prevents the development of malignant tumor processes in tissues;
- fights fungal microorganisms and parasites;
- stabilizes the acid-base balance in the body;
- rejuvenates tissue cells and inhibits the process of premature aging;
- increases the body's protective functions.
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Diagnosis of lipoma and its types
Before making a decision to remove a lipoma, a diagnosis of the neoplasm is carried out, which makes it possible to determine the optimal tactics of surgical intervention.
The doctor usually begins diagnosing a lipoma with a visual examination and palpation of the formation, which makes it possible to determine the shape, structure and approximate size of the formation. An ultrasound examination is also carried out, thanks to which it becomes clear what effect the lipoma has on surrounding tissues. If the formation is located in a potentially dangerous area, the doctor may prescribe a CT or MRI. A biopsy of the formation is also often performed to find out what tissue is part of it.
Lipomas are classified depending on where they are located and what tissues they contain. A serious problem is ring-shaped lipoma, which is a large subcutaneous tumor. It wraps around the neck like a collar, causing problems with breathing and swallowing. There are fibrous lipomas, which include connective tissue; angiolipomas containing adipose tissue and blood vessels; myolipomas, which contain muscle fibers; myelolipomas, consisting of adipose tissue and elements of red bone marrow; adenolipomas, including components of the sweat gland structure; very painful perineural lipomas. For each type of tumor, there are optimal removal tactics. Tumors can be removed by conventional surgery, using the endoscopic method, laser removal, or using the so-called “radio knife”. The final decision regarding how to remove the lipoma is made by the doctor, based on the general clinical picture of the disease, as well as the patient’s condition.
Surgical removal of lipoma
Surgical removal of lipoma is one of the most popular methods of getting rid of lipomas. If the formation is small in diameter, surgical excision is performed under local anesthesia; if the lipoma is large, then general anesthesia is recommended.
No preliminary preparation is required before surgical removal of a lipoma. The patient, as a rule, also does not need a preoperative course of medications. Surgery is performed after an ultrasound has been performed.
After administering anesthesia, the doctor makes a small incision into the lipoma - the so-called excision. After this, he cuts out the fatty tissue and the capsule that contains it. It is the removal of the capsule that ensures that the disease does not recur. After this, the tissues are sutured in layers. In this case, self-absorbable threads can be used. An antiseptic bandage is applied to the scar. If the formation was of significant diameter, thin drainages can be used.
Depending on the complexity of the operation, the location of the lipoma and its size, the length of hospital stay ranges from one to three days. In order to relieve discomfort, painkillers are used.
Sutures are removed approximately seven to ten days after surgery. After surgical excision of the lipoma, a scar remains. Special creams and ointments will help make it less noticeable, the use of which must be agreed with your doctor.
FAQ
Question
If I remove lipomas, will this provoke the growth of a large number of new ones?
Answer
No, this is a myth; lipomatosis is generally characterized by the appearance of new nodes, and surgery has no effect on this.
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Question
What should I do if I don’t live in Moscow?
Answer
Very simple! You sign up for the operation in advance (if you need to discuss the details, this can be done by phone or WhatsApp at +79262317363), arrive, perform the manipulation, after which you can immediately go home and remove the stitches at your place of residence. If you can’t remove everything you wanted at once, you can book a hotel in advance and do the entire volume within a few days.
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Question
Do I need to remove more than 10 lipomas each time to get a discount?
Answer
No, if you have removed more than 10 formations in our clinic, the discount is fixed, and then provided even if you came to remove 1 - 2 pieces.
Contraindications for surgery
Surgical removal of a lipoma, like any other surgical intervention, has a wide range of contraindications.
- Thus, surgical removal of wen is not performed on women in an “interesting” position, or during breastfeeding. Doctors recommend refusing surgery during “critical days.”
- Herpes, recent colds or infectious diseases are also reasons to undergo surgery.
- It is highly undesirable to perform surgical removal of a wen if the patient has been diagnosed with diabetes.
- Surgical removal is also fraught with complications due to secondary immunodeficiency - in other words, reduced body resistance.
Other lipoma removal methods
In addition to surgical excision of the lipoma, there are other methods for removing the tumor. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Laser removal
Laser surgery is one of the most innovative methods for removing fatty tissue. Most often, this option is used to remove formations on the face and neck, since the procedure leaves virtually no scars. Moreover, since the fatty tissue is removed along with the capsule, the likelihood of relapse is reduced to almost zero.
During this operation, the laser simultaneously performs two functions: a scalpel and a coagulator, cutting tissue and at the same time preventing the development of bleeding. Therefore, laser removal is bloodless, due to which healing occurs quickly and swelling and suppuration do not develop. Since laser removal is a non-contact method, it is completely sterile. The duration of the laser removal operation is about thirty minutes, manipulations are carried out using local anesthesia.
Contraindications to laser removal of a wen are a history of cancer, diabetes, pregnancy and inflammatory processes.
Radio wave method
The radio wave method or the so-called “radio knife” is excellent for getting rid of lipomas of small diameter. Its essence is the impact on formation of intense electromagnetic radiation. High-frequency waves perform the duties of a scalpel, cutting tissue. Under the influence of the “radio knife”, heat begins to be generated in the cells, as a result of which they self-destruct. In this case, under the influence of radio waves, the wound is disinfected and coagulated.
The undeniable advantage of removing lipomas using a “radio knife” is that such an intervention is bloodless. In addition, thanks to the use of local anesthesia, the manipulation is painless. Radio wave removal of a tumor eliminates the possibility of complications: in particular, wound infection, swelling, and suppuration.
Postoperative rehabilitation requires minimal time - within a week or two the wound heals completely, leaving no scars. There is also no need for a hospital stay.
Puncture-aspiration method
The puncture-aspiration method of lipoma removal is also effective. During this procedure, a needle is inserted into the tumor, after which the entire contents of the tumor are drawn out with a special syringe-pump. However, this method has one significant drawback - since the capsule remains in the same place, a relapse may develop. Also, an even larger wen may appear if, after “sucking out” the tumor, at least a tiny fragment of the formation remains under the skin.
And since such liposuction is performed blindly, without visual control, it is impossible to guarantee complete removal of the tumor.
Endoscopic surgery
One of the innovative methods, characterized by low trauma and excellent cosmetic effect, is endoscopic removal of lipoma. In this case, the incision is made not on the tumor itself, but at some distance from it: as a rule, in the folds of the skin, in areas hidden from prying eyes. After this, an endoscope and instruments are inserted into the incision, with the help of which the wen is removed.
