Lipoma

A lipoma is made up of lumps of fatty tissue. It's painless and may feel soft, like dough, or rubbery under your skin. It grows slowly and is benign (non-cancerous), it's usually harmless. 

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It's not clear why people get a lipoma. People with a family history of lipomas tend to get them and some people have many lipomas. This is called familial lipomatosis. Sometimes, an earlier injury to that part of your body can trigger the growth of a lipoma. 

Lipomas can occur in people of all ages and affect both men and women equally. They're more common if you're 40 to 60 years of age.

Some health conditions can make you more likely to get lipomas. These include:

• diabetes
• high cholesterol
• liver disease
• obesity.

If you drink a lot of alcohol you are also more likely to get a lipoma. 

Common symptoms of a lipoma include a small lump or swelling that:

• grows slowly under your skin
• feels soft and rubbery
• can be moved easily under your skin
• ranges from the size of a pea to a few centimetres across 
• is painless.

Lipomas can grow anywhere there is fat tissue on your body, but are most commonly seen on your shoulders, neck, torso and arms. 

Most people only develop 1 or 2 lipomas, but some people can have more than 20. 

Rarely, a lipoma may grow large enough to put pressure on nearby structures. This can cause problems, such as pain or numbness, if it presses on a nerve. 

See your healthcare provider if you have any of the following symptoms:

• multiple lumps over your body
• painful, red or hot lumps
• hard lumps
• skin lumps that don't move
• a lump that's growing quickly or has a scaly surface.

Researchers generally agree that the risk of a lipoma turning into a cancer is extremely low – if possible at all. However, there is a type of cancer called liposarcoma that can look similar to a lipoma at first. Liposarcomas tend to be very large (more than 5 cm) and grow very fast. 

Your healthcare provider will usually diagnose a lipoma by examining the skin lump or swelling. Normally no tests are needed. However, sometimes an ultrasound scan, CT scan or MRI scan may be needed to confirm your lipoma. rarely, a biopsy may be done. This is when the lump is taken and sent to a laboratory to be examined.   

Apps reviewed by Healthify

You may find it useful to look at the DermDiag app.

A lipoma doesn’t usually need treatment. Occasionally, you may want to have one removed because it’s unsightly or it puts pressure on nearby structures and causes problems. In this case, your lipoma may require removal by minor surgery done under local anaesthetic. Options other than surgery include: 

• getting the fat cells sucked out by a needle (liposuction) under local anaesthetic
• having a steroid injection in the lump to shrink it.

Talk to your healthcare provider to find out if your lipoma needs to be removed. Some healthcare provider will do the surgery for you, otherwise they'll refer you to a specialist.