Do I need any treatment for a lipoma?
Usually not. If you are not bothered by a lipoma that develops, then it is best just to leave it alone. However, some people want lipomas that are unsightly to be removed for cosmetic reasons. Occassionally, a lipoma needs to be removed if it is causing symptoms such as pressure symptoms. Sometimes a lipoma inside the body is removed to look at under the microscope to make sure the ‘growth’ that had been detected is a lipoma and not something more serious. For a lipoma that forms under the skin, usually it can be removed by a simple minor operation. Some local anaesthetic is injected into the skin over the lipoma. Once the overlying skin is ‘numbed’ by the local anaesthetic, an incision (cut) is made over the lipoma. The lipoma is then pulled up out of the cut and cut away from the underlying tissue. The wound is then stitched up. A fine scar will be left.
