If you’ve ever fallen down a Dr. Pimple Popper rabbit hole or stumbled upon a dermatologist’s TikTok, you may have encountered a lipoma. Sometimes small as a pea, sometimes bigger than 15 centimeters, lipomas are benign tumors that present as movable lumps just under the skin. If you’ve ever experienced one (or if you’re just curious), this is everything you need to know about lipomas and their removal.
Featured Experts
- Amy Sprole, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Wichita, KS
- Janine Hopkins, MD is a board-certified dermatologist with practices in Southlake, TX and Monroe, LA
What Is a Lipoma?
“A lipoma is a benign, soft, fatty tumor that typically grows slowly under the skin,” explains Southlake, TX dermatologist Janine Hopkins, MD. “It’s usually painless and movable when touched.”
Affecting around one in 1,000 people, lipomas are harmless. They can show up anywhere on the body, but are commonly found just under the skin on the arms, legs, trunk and shoulders. Some of them are small, only a centimeter or so, but others (like the ones you may have seen online) can be bigger than a cantaloupe. Most of the time they’re completely asymptomatic.
“But, as they slowly grow, in some people they can become symptomatic due to the pressure they exert on surrounding structures,” explains Wichita, KS plastic surgeon Amy Sprole, MD. “We don’t really know why they form, but some people are more genetically prone to developing them.”
When Do Lipomas Need to be Removed?
Most of the time, removing a lipoma is a cosmetic choice, and therefore a cosmetic surgery. “If the lipoma causes discomfort or cosmetic concern, but is not medically necessary to remove, it may be considered a cosmetic procedure by insurance,” explains Dr. Hopkins.
If the lipoma is causing symptoms like pain or interfering with movement, removal may be considered medically necessary.
How Are Lipomas Removed?
“Lipomas are removed via a minor surgical excision, often under local anesthesia,” explains Dr. Hopkins. “The procedure is quick and performed in-office.”
Sometimes, though, lipomas aren’t superficial.
“Some lipomas are deep, under the muscle or fascia in the area,” Dr. Sprole explains. “These are also removed through an incision placed over the lesion, but the dissection can be more complex. Additionally, some lipomas are multi-loculated, like a cluster of grapes. If all of the ‘grapes’ aren’t removed, the remaining lipoma tissue can re-grow and again become symptomatic. Alternatively, if the entire lipoma isn’t removed, it can regrow from any remnant left behind.”
After complete removal, patients should work with their practitioner to develop scar protocol for optimal healing. “Post-removal care includes keeping the area clean, applying silicone gel or scar creams and protecting from sun exposure,” Dr. Hopkins says. “I prefer to provide personalized scar care plans for optimal cosmetic healing.”
For small lipomas, you can expect to have your stitches taken out around a week after removal. “I remove the stitches after one week, and recommend silicone scar tape or silicone gel application starting at three weeks post-op,” Dr. Sprole says. “Very large lipomas may require a drain in the space they are removed from in order to avoid the buildup of post-op swelling, but this can usually be removed by one week post-op.”
