Lipomas are the most common benign tumours located in the subcutaneous tissue.
Lipomas consist of fat cells, and may be single or multiple.
Lipomas are most often found on the back, shoulders, forearms and thighs, and in the case of symmetrically placed lipomas on the trunk and extremities, this is called lipomatosis.
All lipomas increase over time, so it is better to remove them surgically while small, because then the operation can be performed under local anesthesia and in outpatient settings.
There are non-surgical approaches to the treatment of lipomas using lipolytics, for example in large lipomas, where we wish to avoid large scars.
Large lipomas have to be preoperatively diagnosed by ultrasonography, which gives the necessary information on size and shape of the lipoma and its relation to surrounding structures (blood vessels, nerves, muscles), which enables planning surgery in local (if possible) or general anesthesia.