Lipoma localized on the back: a review of products for home use

Surgeon

Bohyan

Tigran Surenovich

Experience 37 years

Surgeon of the highest category, Doctor of Medical Sciences, member of the International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and Oncologists

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Lipoma (fat) is a benign formation in the form of small nodules, the appearance of which is associated with the accumulation and compaction of excess adipose tissue. The size of the lipoma may increase or remain stable. When exposed to unfavorable factors, pockets of pathogenic microflora can form inside the wen, which makes it a source of other serious diseases of internal organs. The unaesthetic appearance of formations protruding on the surface of the skin is also important. Therefore, in most cases, a decision is made to remove the tumor and its subsequent histological examination to clarify the nature of the wen - benign or malignant.

The area of ​​localization of lipoma is the back, chest, face, limbs, mammary glands, structure of internal organs. The formation can be detected accidentally during diagnostic procedures or during palpation. The edges of the lipoma are dense and clear, the formation is mobile, and its palpation is painless. It is more difficult to detect a lipoma in the tissues of internal organs. However, it is precisely such cases that are recognized as the most dangerous, threatening disruptions in the functioning of the affected tissue area.

Classification

Depending on the internal structure there are:

• Myolipomas are formations from muscle cells.
• Angiolipomas are lipomas with the inclusion of blood vessels.
• Myxolipomas are tumors containing mucus.
• Fibrolipomas are formations containing connective tissue.

It is possible to accurately determine the nature of the formation only after a thorough diagnosis. It should not be postponed for the foreseeable future, especially if the lipoma quickly increases in size and causes discomfort.

Localization of wen

Where do children usually develop wen? They can also occur on internal organs, but this is rare. Tumors grow under the skin, in muscle tissue, and in places above the bone tissue. Although lipoma is called a wen, it itself, as a rule, is located where there is almost no fat. Most often, a child has only one wen. However, if more than one of them is detected, then a diagnosis of lipomatosis is made.

Most often, formations are localized on:

• head and neck;
• face and back;
• shoulders and legs.

Causes of lipoma

The general pattern of the appearance of wen is the accumulation of fat cells due to a violation of fat metabolism in the body. If measures to treat the problem are not taken in a timely manner, the formation quickly grows, pinching nearby muscles and blood vessels. Among the causes of lipoma that influence the unfavorable course of the pathology, it is worth noting:

• Hormonal disorders, a period of hormonal changes in the body.
• Metabolic failures.
• Disturbances in the diet with a predominance of food of animal origin.
• Diseases of the kidneys and liver, pancreas and thyroid gland.
• Bad habits.
• Diabetes.
• Genetic predisposition.

Also, the formation of excess adipose tissue is affected by physical inactivity, a sedentary lifestyle and refusal of full-fledged physical activity.

What to do with inflammation and pain of lipoma

In the case of a painful tumor on the back, therapy begins with eliminating and relieving the inflammatory process. Until the symptoms are relieved, the lump cannot be operated on. Treatment is difficult, especially in cases with large formations. If the wen on the back of the spine becomes inflamed, immediately seek help from a surgeon. The doctor will conduct a study and develop treatment tactics.

Treatment with pharmaceutical preparations

To eliminate signs of inflammation and discomfort, absorbable and disinfecting ointments are rubbed into the back. The following drugs are highly effective:

• Ichthyol ointment. The composition includes natural ingredients that can quickly reduce the diameter of a lipoma, relieve inflammation and carry out antiseptic treatment. The product softens the dermis and allows the active components to quickly penetrate the fat cells inside the capsule. Apply a thick layer under the bandage. The course of application lasts 1-2 weeks.
• Vishnevsky ointment. It has a specific pungent odor due to the presence of birch tar in the composition. Quickly suppresses bacterial infections, increases local blood circulation, which promotes better penetration of the drug into the tumor. Draws out purulent contents. After application to the back, the skin may turn red, which indicates the beginning of the healing process. Used as a compress. The duration of therapy depends on the size of the formation. The minimum period is 3-4 days.
• Vitaon. The drug is made on the basis of plant extracts. It has an analgesic and healing effect, restores water-fat metabolism of skin cells. To speed up recovery, it is recommended to treat your back twice a day.
• Star. To make the balm, oils of eucalyptus, camphor, cloves, and mint are used. It has a disinfecting effect, the internal contents of the wen are absorbed, and reduces inflammation.

Hydrogen peroxide and Furacilin are used as antiseptic lotions.

The drugs are distributed through the pharmacy. Available without a prescription. Should be used according to the instructions after consultation with your doctor.

Eliminating pain

If a wen on your back hurts, you need to take action. With a strong inflammatory, purulent process, a local and general increase in temperature, malaise, and headache are observed. Eliminate symptoms Nurofen, Paracetamol, Panadol.

Self-prescription of medications can lead to serious complications.

You can relieve pain and inflammation at home using traditional methods:

No. 1 Grind a few cloves of garlic using a grater. Spread the resulting mixture over a piece of gauze, apply it to the sore spot on the back, and cover with a bandage. Repeat compresses 2 times a day. The plant has an antibacterial effect and quickly eliminates discomfort.

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No. 2 Prepare a strong decoction of celandine. Moisten the gauze and apply it to the wen with the inflammatory process. The bandage should be changed 2 times: in the morning and in the evening until the redness goes away.

No. 3 Bake a medium-sized onion in the oven until soft, then grate and mix with crushed laundry soap in equal proportions. Apply the mixture to your back and secure with a sterile bandage. Repeat the manipulations three times a day.

Do not use alternative medicine methods without consulting your doctor. Self-treatment of inflammation can cause a breakthrough of purulent contents into the body, which creates a risk of developing necrosis.

Seeing a doctor

In official medicine there are no other methods of treatment other than removing the inflamed formation. Back surgery is performed using different techniques. The main goal is to extract the fat capsule. After the procedure, the internal contents of the lipoma are examined for cytology to exclude oncological pathology.

Doctors have the following removal options for inflammation:

• Surgical. Using a scalpel, an incision is made and the capsule is removed. The wound is cleaned and stitches are applied. Rehabilitation lasts 10-14 days.
• Laser. A modern technique that allows you to avoid pain, blood and complications, thanks to a targeted effect on the desired area of ​​the back.
• Radio wave method. The doctor performs the operation using a radioknife, which destroys pathological tissue. The capsule is removed and the skin is sealed. After surgery there are no scars left.
• Puncture-aspiration method. It involves minimally invasive lipoma removal by pumping out the fatty contents through a thick needle. Suitable for exposed areas of the body. The downside is a high risk of relapse of the disease, since the capsule remains.

After the tumor is removed, the patient is prescribed medications. If an inflammatory process is observed, antibiotics must be prescribed.

Symptoms

The main localization of wen is the place of deposition of adipose tissue. At first it is a soft compaction, which gradually increases in size. The only symptom of a lipoma is the formation of a noticeable tubercle with a movable structure, which can be felt when pressed. There is no pain when palpating the lipoma on the back or arms.

If the wen is localized in the structure or on the surface of internal organs, disturbances in their functioning may indicate pathology. The disease is also accompanied by characteristic symptoms:

• a lipoma in the esophagus causes coughing, nausea and vomiting;
• formations on the bronchi and trachea cause a constant dry cough of a paroxysmal nature;
• lipoma on tendons and cartilage limits their mobility and causes pain;
• a lump in the mammary gland gives pain;
• fatty deposits in the kidneys provoke colic, lower back pain, and increased blood pressure;
• a lipoma in the head causes dizziness and headaches;
• a formation in the neck makes it difficult to swallow food and also causes hoarseness;
• A lipoma in the heart area causes arrhythmia and heart failure.

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Is the presence of a wen an absolute contraindication to massage?

The subcutaneous tumor itself does not act as a limitation to massage, especially if this method is used to treat problems in the back area. The main thing with a lipoma is not to massage the area where it is located. To get rid of the tumor, it is better to use a special massage oil. This mixture has high absorbable properties, since hemlock seeds contain up to 2% alkaloids. The conditions for preparing the medicinal product are summarized in the table:

If you avoid contact with the lipoma, you can undergo the massage procedure without harm.
The lipoma should be lubricated with the prepared product 3-4 times a day. This should be done with light massaging movements, avoiding strong pressure. Wen are extremely sensitive to external influences and require no less careful handling than moles. If prolonged treatment with massage oil does not produce visible results, it is recommended to consult a surgeon. It is worth noting that massage oils are not a panacea for fatty tissue. They help completely get rid of subcutaneous formation only in 15% of cases.

Methods for diagnosing lipomas

The long period of latent progression greatly complicates the diagnosis of soft tissue lipoma in the early stages of development. More often, pathology is detected when the wen reaches a size of 1.5-2 cm and is easily palpable under the skin. To carry out differentiated diagnostics and confirm the benign nature of the formation, you can:

• Blood tests to exclude viral or bacterial infections, as well as the absence of an inflammatory process.
• X-ray of the chest, limbs or abdomen. Allows you to detect a formation, clarify its location, calculate its size and assess the condition of surrounding tissues.
• Ultrasonography. It is used as an additional diagnostic method when the presence of a lipoma is confirmed by other examination methods.
• Computed and magnetic resonance imaging. Effective methods to determine the location and size of the lipoma, as well as confirm its benign nature.
• A biopsy of wen tissue to analyze it for the risk of cells degenerating into a malignant structure.

If the patient has other diseases of the internal organs, the diagnosis of lipoma is carried out taking into account their characteristics, and deciphering the results suggests the mutual influence of pathologies, making it possible to more accurately determine the cause of the appearance of the wen.

What does a wen look like?

The formation is not very large in size, usually no larger than a match head. However, the tumor tends to grow. Over time, as the lipoma becomes larger, it will interfere with the blood supply to the tissues and organs in the place where it is located. The wen looks like a small lump on the skin. There is a wen on a child’s cheek, on the face in general, on the head, neck, and shoulders. It can also occur on the lower extremities. For example, on the legs or thighs. There can even be a wen on a child’s eyelid, so for many parents the issue of eliminating the pathology in the most gentle way is important. Methods for treating wen will be discussed further. For now, let’s talk about the appearance of the tumor and what it resembles. It is also worth mentioning the internal structure of education.

If the lipoma is on the outside rather than the inside, it may be easier to recognize. This formation has the following properties:

• mobility;
• softness, elasticity;
• no fusion with the skin;
• if the lipoma is large, then it may have a lobular structure;
• tumor size 1.5-10 centimeters;
• education does not hurt or cause concern;
• if the wen is small, then it has a round or oval shape.

The inside of the tumor looks like this. It is made up of adult fat cells that are similar to the other fat cells around. The cells of the formation are connected into small lobules; these lobules are covered with a dense capsule.

Wen can appear where there is no adipose tissue. This phenomenon is an ectopia. This is how congenital tumors usually arise.

The appearance of a wen is a small lump under the skin, which is usually not uncomfortable. However, there are situations when you should see a specialist. Next we will talk about such cases.

Treatment

If small lipomas are detected in a patient, a wait-and-see approach is chosen, which involves ultrasound monitoring several times a year. However, there are often cases when the doctor decides in favor of surgical intervention. Surgery is necessary if:

• The tumor grows rapidly, engulfing neighboring tissues and blood vessels.
• The lipoma rises above the surface of the skin, giving an unaesthetic cosmetic effect.
• The development of a wen gives persistent pain.
• Due to the growth of adipose tissue, the functioning of internal organs and the circulatory system is disrupted.

Removing or destroying a lipoma on the neck or back is possible in the following ways:

• Endoscopic method. It involves removing the tumor along with the capsule through a small incision in the skin.
• Liposuction is the extraction of adipose tissue by softening it and stretching it through a thin needle. Does not leave scars and does not injure the skin.
• Excision of a lipoma is the removal of a wen during a classic surgical intervention.

The optimal method is selected taking into account the general condition of the patient and the size of the lipoma.

Why not?

The use of massage for lipomas does not speed up their resorption - due to such procedures they only increase. In addition, massaging is sometimes fraught with other serious consequences, for example, the degeneration of tumors into malignant ones. This happens for the following reasons:

• excessive pressure on the tumor leads to its subcutaneous rupture;
• with intense massage you can scratch or injure its surface;
• a wound or minor damage to the wen provokes the entry of microbes.

Diagnosis and treatment of lipoma at the JSC Meditsina clinic in Moscow

The clinic of JSC "Medicine" in the Central Administrative District of Moscow is ready to offer professional assistance to patients with suspected single or multiple cases of lipoma development. The center’s specialists have high-quality equipment and extensive practical experience in using various methods of removing a tumor focus. Each patient is guaranteed attentive attention, referral to a full course of examinations and an individual approach to developing lipoma treatment tactics. Appointments are available on the clinic’s website and by calling the numbers provided.

Removing a wen on the back

Treatment for lipoma on the back may also involve its removal. This method of treatment is generally approached only when the lipoma is dangerously close to vital human organs. Wen removal is usually carried out in a medical facility. There are currently a number of methods available for removing lipoma on the back, which are described below.

Chemical removal

Chemical removal is appropriate only when the wen has not yet reached a large size. This procedure involves injecting a special drug into the tumor that can resolve it. Chemical removal is carried out only in a day hospital setting.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a very simple way to remove lipomas on the back. Initially, a special drug is injected into the wen, which can soften the contents of the tumor on the back. Then tubes are inserted into the wen. All contents are removed through these tubes.

Surgical removal

Removing a wen on the back through surgery is the most common of all methods.

Lipoma removal with laser

The process of removing a wen using a laser, as well as recovery after surgery, is very fast. In some cases, the patient may be given a local anesthetic. Currently, laser therapy is the safest, painless and bloodless method of treatment. The laser also removes fibroids, a benign growth on the skin.

Radio wave method

The radio wave method of removing wen on the back has a number of positive features:

• No pain.
• No blood.
• Fast rehabilitation.
• No complications.
• No scars.
• Carrying out the process on an outpatient basis.