Subcutaneous lipoma: How to treat?

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Most types of subcutaneous lipomas are benign and do not affect the patient's health much. However, when they appear in the abdomen, are large or in areas with many nerves such as the head, shoulders, and back, they can cause extreme pain.

1. Causes of subcutaneous lipomas

Lipoma is a disease formed from mature fat cells, which accumulate under the skin, between the skin and the muscle layer. In some cases, lipomas can also develop in internal organs such as the lungs and intestines.
Subcutaneous lipoma is a benign tumor that can appear at any age. The cause of the disease is still unknown medically, but some factors that can increase the risk are fat metabolism disorders and genetics.
To recognize the symptoms of lipomas in the skin, the patient can rely on the following characteristics:
Lipomas often appear below the skin, so they often cause cosmetic loss, most of them are painless or cause little pain. pain. Subcutaneous fat tumors are usually caused by fat accumulation, so when the patient touches it, it will feel soft and slightly mushy. If you press lightly on the fat mass, you will see a displacement. Usually, lipomas in the skin are harmless and do not cause pain, but if they press on nerves, they also affect the patient's health. Subcutaneous fat tumors vary in size, but are most often small and rarely larger than 8cm. Tumors are usually not large and, if present, are very slow. Most skin lipomas are benign and will not affect the patient's health much. However, there are a few cases of lipoma appearing in the abdomen that will cause internal organs to be compressed, leading to dysfunction of those organs, so it is necessary to have timely treatment measures.
In addition, if the lipoma is large in size and occurs in areas with many nerves such as the head, shoulders and nape, it can cause pain for the patient. To ensure the safety of health, it is best for patients to visit reputable medical facilities.

2. Method of diagnosing subcutaneous lipoma


Usually, to accurately diagnose lipomas in the skin, the doctor can go through clinical examination, however, with some cases of lipomas in internal organs, it will be difficult to detect the location. as well as its properties. At this time, ultrasound subcutaneous lipoma is the right choice.
Ultrasonography of subcutaneous lipomas is a non-invasive technique that works by using ultrasound waves to build images of lipomas in the human body. Through the ultrasound method, the doctor can diagnose whether the patient has a lipoma or not, and at the same time determine the location, size and condition of the surrounding tissue of the tumor.
After ultrasound subcutaneous lipoma, depending on the case and condition, the doctor will make a decision whether to treat or not. In case the lower lipoma is benign, it will not need to be treated, but if the tumor grows quickly, causes pain or is larger than 5cm in size, affecting the patient's health, it will need treatment.
Ultrasound of subcutaneous lipoma has the advantage of being non-toxic, can be performed many times, easily detects lesions and is inexpensive for the patient. However, to most accurately diagnose the nature of the tumor, the patient needs to do a biopsy.

Các khối u mỡ dưới da thường là do sự tích tụ chất béo
Các khối u mỡ dưới da thường là do sự tích tụ chất béo

3. Treatment of subcutaneous lipomas


After having the results of ultrasound and biopsy, depending on the location of the subcutaneous fat tumor, the doctor will prescribe appropriate treatment methods for the patient. Some commonly indicated subcutaneous lipoma treatment methods include:
Subcutaneous lipoma removal surgery: The surgical removal of subcutaneous lipomas is a small, simple intervention using local anesthesia. This technique only applies to those who have large, deep subcutaneous lipomas with many fibrous components. The advantage of this method is that there is very little recurrence, the disadvantage is that it will leave scars on the patient's body. Steroid injection: This is also a method used to treat and treat lipomas in the skin that many people choose. Steroid injection method, although painless, cannot make the subcutaneous lipoma disappear completely. Liposuction: This is also one of the techniques used to treat lipomas in the skin. With this method, the patient will be liposuctioned in easily accessible areas with large subcutaneous lipomas. After being diagnosed and treated, patients need to follow the following lifestyle habits to help limit the progression of subcutaneous fat tumors, specifically:
Check for any tumors appearing on the body. . Skin lipomas are usually harmless, but other tumors can cause serious health problems. Seek medical attention if you notice redness, swelling, or warmth in the subcutaneous lipoma surgery area. At the same time, follow up with your doctor on time to monitor the progress of symptoms and health status. Follow the instructions of the doctor, do not arbitrarily take the medicine without the doctor's prescription or arbitrarily quit the medicine in the prescribed prescription. Currently, most hospitals and medical facilities are able to perform ultrasound and treat subcutaneous lipomas. However, to ensure safety and effectiveness, patients should choose to be examined and treated at a reputable and quality medical facility. Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the leading prestigious hospitals in the country, trusted by a large number of patients for medical examination and treatment. Not only the physical system, modern equipment: 6 ultrasound rooms, 4 DR X-ray rooms (1 full-axis machine, 1 light machine, 1 general machine and 1 mammography machine) , 2 DR portable X-ray machines, 2 multi-row CT scanner rooms (1 128 rows and 1 16 arrays), 2 Magnetic resonance imaging rooms (1 3 Tesla and 1 1.5 Tesla), 1 room for 2 levels of interventional angiography and 1 room to measure bone mineral density.... Vinmec is also the place to gather a team of experienced doctors and nurses who will greatly assist in diagnosis and detection. early signs of abnormality in the patient's body. In particular, with a space designed according to 5-star hotel standards, Vinmec ensures to bring the patient the most comfort, friendliness and peace of mind.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

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