Can a dermatologist remove a lipoma?

Are you worried about that weird lump on your body? Does it jiggle when you move and does its presence stress you out? Well, my friend, welcome to the world of lipomas. That’s right; lipomas are those fatty lumps that invade our bodies without permission. They like to hang around in places like necks, shoulders, backs or thighs – making things uncomfortable for us.

If all this is ringing true but more importantly if they’ve been causing discomfort or pain then do not fret! Our friendly neighborhood dermatologists can come to your rescue and remove these pesky growths. Just read ahead for some helpful tips.

What is a Lipoma?

Now before we dive into how one can get rid of these little monsters from their body- let’s know what they are. A lipoma is actually a benign tumor composed of fat cells known as adipocytes that grows gradually beneath the skin layer (Technically known as subcutaneous tissue) forming soft lobulated masses over time.

These cysts develop very slowly under the skin surface with no age preference i.e., both youngsters and seniors could display it at any stage in life. Although harmless usually (no juice spilling) lipomas occasionally grow too large leading them to press against the nerves or other connective tissues giving rise to twinges and pulls(Ouch!).

So what brings up such hefty concerns among people regarding their appearance besides being plain old’? The major issue lies in awkward placement/distribution (Did someone say double chin?), which always needs attention through minor surgical interventions by expert dermatologists.

Types Of Lipomas

There quite are many kinds of lipomas their reference depends upon localization where they usually mature within your bodily tissues:

Subcutaneous
Intramuscular
Intermuscular
Neurally
Osseous
Organ-based (Spermatic cord, mammary gland)
Atypical / complex lipomas

What Causes A Lipoma?

No one knows! Sorry to be a buzzkill. Typically, no specific cause can be traced or found out as in many cases its just heredity what plays the biggest role followed by other factors like overweight (Not being thin is finally worth something) besides trauma could trigger it sometimes.

Well not all mysteries are answered then and there are still gaps of knowledge among dermatologists regarding lipid metabolism defects and chromosomal abnormalities which might contribute. Regardless, lipomas are more commonly seen on obese people apparently signaling genetic predisposition towards storing adipose tissue (‘time to call grandpa’)

The Symptoms

The common signs and symptoms that occur with lipomas include:

Visible swollen lump beneath your skin (why this…gremlin pewpew)
Soft feel when touched
Sometimes painful (ouch!)
Increase in size over time

Although uncommon very large growths may bind nerves thus limit normal activities during movement leading to pain plus evoking neurological problems!

How Can Dermatologists Remove It?

Dermatologists would typically start off by looking at these little pests(/tumors) first, taking appropriate blood tests if deemed necessary(These vampires wouldn’t even need DEXA scans nowadays!)thereafter applying a simple procedure – usually surgical excision(i.e., ‘”chop-chop!”) or using an injection for topical removal(think of popping a balloon).

Sometime they’d use steroid injections but typically biopsy studies (This isn’t maths so let’s avoid going down memory lane) show such corticosteroid therapy has shown mixed results overall relating recurrence rates therefore surgical removal remains widely utilized.

Minimal Excision Surgery

Minimal exicison surgery,AKA MIES, is when one needs to go under local anesthesia! (so we get knocked out right!) Actually nope, just a small dose of lidocaine gets the job done(Getting high biologically starts now!). Then Dermatologists would make two extremely tiny incisions and extract that unwanted fatty tissue mass from beneath your skin without any noticeable scars (Time to start planking!)

Traditional Surgery

Traditional surgery, on the other hand, relies upon making larger cuts for adequate removal (Do they borrow machetes from lumberjacks?) with an aim of completely dissecting it. In this approach dermatologists carefully remove it taking care not to harm neighboring skin areas (“Mine!, don’t cut here!”). While opting for traditional surgery what carries importance is choosing skilled experts who know how much tissue has to be removed so as not creating problems down the road.

Risks Involved

No process or operation can proceed entirely devoid of risks – however minor- and procedures leadingto lipoma reduction won’t break tradition in terms of possibility. Also let’s play devil’s advocate because with high degree confidence you will inevitably google these issues regardless whether looking at pictures or information :

Swelling
Nerve damage
bleeding (Patients have expressed their concerns about horror movie scenes minus all ants from Mummy franchises after extraction)
Secondary infection
Reconstruction more required if greater tumor size occurred.
6 Thoroughly scaring individual emotionally( I mean come on it was like family)

So beware- but take heart: No plenty painful situations last long enough to demoralize forever…

To help reassure yourself (and pay some homage) pick up self-help books/ find a positive community/ listen inspirational content which encourages growing resilience within oneself(limitless by Jim Kwik maybe ∴))

Terms You Need To Know:

Here are some relevant technical terminologies one may come across while dealing with lipomas:

Adipose tissue – involves the cells that form fat.
Subcutaneous layer – located between dermis and muscle .
Mies (Minimal Excision Surgery) – using local anesthesia .(Getting high time)
4 Local anesthesia – drug-induced restriction of sensory output in a targeted area which lasts only for a limited period.

Conclusion

So there you have it folks! Lipomas are no doubt nasty fellows trying to disturb peace around us but getting them removed is an easy process involving minimal invasion /time from expert dermatologists (No reason to store garlic anymore).

As usual, prevention remains better than cure , so starting on maintaining healthy body weight should lower your chances ever having lipomas growing all over yourself (Start gymming now or updating resumes at GNC could be interesting too!)

If none of these tips seems helpful then pour yourself another cuppa Mia-Tvo special coffee as you wait your appointment date with our specialists(OR..don’t think about anything related to weird lumps for five minute straight) Oh: one last thing: if any chance the thought really freaks out; make sure pressing skin bumps compels feel good joint decision between patient and dermatologist…(Like a permission slip during office study halls)