Fatty tumors. Dr. Stone
The Doctors
About six years ago I developed what was later diagnosed
as "fatty
tumors". I started out with one in my leg and then it
became two and then three, etc. It appears to have stopped
with five in
one leg. I was not to concerned because I had a
doctor check it but then I developed a few more in my other
leg, and
then a few in each one of my arms. I am only 29 and I
try to live a pretty healthy life. They do not hurt and they do
not
appear to be getting bigger after they have developed. At
what point should I be concerned with the number of these
tumors that I
have? Is there something that causes these tumors
and if so how can I change my diet so that I can slow down
the number
of them? Will it help to have these tumors removed or
will more grow back in different places?
Answer by Aaron Stone MD
Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
LIPOMA
(1) What causes them? Does increased body fat
cause more to form?
No one knows the exact cause but there seem to be at least 3
types of
benign lipomas. One is reported to occur after localized
trauma. It
appears as a single lipoma
& is very slow growing. Another is an angiolipoma which
tends to occur
in multiple areas all over the body & has more blood vessels
within it.
It is due to a genetic
predisposition & grows even more slowly. Another rare
form occurs within
muscles & is even less well understood. Some authors have
recommended
removing the
actual muscle as well as the lipoma because of a high
recurrence rate if
just the intramuscular lipoma is removed.
(2) Are they harmful or just rather annoying?
They are benign but can cause problems if they grow to a
sufficient size
to compress adjacent structures such as nerves or arteries.
Lipomas are
a rare cause of
carpal tunnel syndrome where the lipoma presses on the
median nerve at
the wrist. The treatment is to remove the lipoma. The vast
majority of
lipomas are so close
to the skin surface that they will never cause a problem other
than a
cosmetic problem.
(3) Can they be 'treated' by oneself?
It is cosmetic surgery however many times one can't tell the
difference
between a lipoma & a cyst or other tumor. I had one patient
whose
presumed lipoma turned
out to be a metastatic melanoma. Thus, I think most
insurance carriers
cover their removal because you never know what your
dealing with until
the pathologist gives
you a report. My preferred method of lipoma removal
especially in the
case of multiple angiolipomas is liposuction - the incisions
are much
smaller & can be hidden
in strategic areas. Lipomas can recurr after liposuction since
one can
never be sure that the liposuction removed every bit of the
lipoma but the tradeoff of less scarring is worth it especially
in the
case of angiolipomas. However, if you are not sure you are
dealing with
a benign lipoma conventional excision is a better approach to
prevent
spread of a possible malignancy or liposuction induced cell
damage which
in turn prevents accurate pathologic diagnosis.
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