Lipoma surgery

Treatment
Often, treatment of a lipoma is not necessary, unless the tumor becomes painful or restricts movement. Many people have them removed for cosmetic reasons. However, if the lipoma is not completely removed during the surgery, it may grow back.

Lipomas are normally removed by simple excision. However, liposuction is another option if the lipoma is soft and has a small connective tissue component. Liposuction often results in less scarring, however it has a greater tendency to fail to remove the entire lipoma, often resulting in re-growth.

There are new methods being developed that are supposed to remove the lipomas without scarring. One of them is removal by the use of injection of various substances. Another method being developed is the use of ultrasound waves to destroy the lipoma. This can be compared with the removal of kidney stones where ultrasound is used to pulverize the stones.