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Lipoma

Lipoma · Lipom

What it is

A soft, slow-growing lump of normal fat under the skin — the commonest soft-tissue tumour, and almost always harmless.

Symptoms & signs

  • Soft doughy lump that slips under the fingers
  • usually painless
  • on the shoulders, back, neck, arms or thighs
  • slow growth over years

🚩 Get help if…

  • see a doctor soon Lump bigger than 5 cm
  • see a doctor soon Lump that is hard, fixed or growing fast
  • see a doctor soon Lump deep under muscle or painful
  • see a doctor soon Lump that comes back after removal

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Leave alone
  • ultrasound if large, deep or growing fast
  • excision under local anaesthetic
  • MRI for lumps over 5 cm (to exclude a sarcoma)

Natural & lifestyle

  • Nothing proven prevents them
  • have any lump that grows or hurts checked

Emerging & experimental

  • Injection lipolysis (deoxycholic acid)
  • removal by liposuction

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Turmeric or sage ointments — anecdotal anecdotal / traditional
  • Apple cider vinegar — anecdotal; can burn the skin anecdotal / traditional
  • Weight loss to shrink it — lipomas are not ordinary fat and do not shrink with dieting not confirmed in trials

ICD codes