What is a lipoma and how to get rid of it

Wen

is the popular name for the medical term lipoma. From the word formation it is clear that a lipoma is a tumor made up of adipose tissue.

This name is given to a group of neoplasms, including lipoma, fibrolipoma and fibroneurolipoma. All of the listed types of wen are benign neoplasms. However, under certain conditions, a lipoma can degenerate into liposarcoma, a cancerous disease. Let's consider the reasons for the formation of lipomas on the human body.

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What does a wen look like on the body?

They occur frequently, so it is very likely that you know very well what a lipoma looks like, you just didn’t previously know what exactly you were dealing with and what it’s called. Wen are small benign tumors that form in fatty tissues. They can be single or multiple. A distinctive characteristic is that the fatty tissues on the body do not connect with the tissues surrounding them.

At first, the formations do not show any symptoms. They are small in size, do not cause discomfort and do not impair the quality of life, and therefore patients in most cases simply neglect them. The skin around lipomas also does not change – its healthy color and elasticity are preserved. Sometimes, even for a person who knows what a lipoma is, a photo will not help identify the problem. The secret becomes apparent in the later stages, when the tumor grows, puts pressure on tissues, organs, and nerve endings near it, swelling, pain appear, and sensitivity is impaired.

Fatty deposits on the body can appear almost anywhere, but as practice shows, they are more often localized in the shoulders, on the back, on the outer side of the thighs, on the head - where the fatty tissue grows weaker. Almost all lipomas that doctors encounter are subcutaneous. Muscle formations growing in the deep layers of soft tissue are rare.

Types of lipomatosis and localization

Most often, the fatty tumor is single in nature, only in six percent of cases multiple lipomas appear on the body, then we are talking about lipomatosis.

The pathology can affect the scalp, face, neck, and back. Depending on the location of the tumor, it can be:

1. Subcutaneous;
2. Myolipomas (intermuscular);
3. Perineural (near the nerve endings);
4. Adenolipomas (glandular cell).

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Almost always the pathology has a subcutaneous localization on the body. With lipomatosis, damage to internal organs by wen may also occur. If a person discovers several tumors at once, he should immediately consult a doctor for a comprehensive examination.

Wen on the body - causes of occurrence

Research into the problem has been carried out for a long time and seriously, but it is still difficult for medicine to say exactly why wen appears on the body. One or more specific reasons are missing. Experts have concluded that the development of lipomas is influenced by various factors. Answering the question why wen forms on the body, the reasons are usually given as follows:

1. Poor nutrition.
   Modern food contains a large number of such ingredients, the intake of which into the body does not have the best effect on the process of life.
2. Sedentary lifestyle.
   Another problem of the modern world and a possible reason why wen forms on the body. Due to insufficient activity, the motility of the gastrointestinal tract decreases, breakdown products do not have time to be eliminated from the body and are “stuffed” to different corners of the body. Including in the subcutaneous adipose tissue, where waste products become the real cause of blockage of the sebaceous glands.
3. Endocrine diseases.
   Sometimes there are solitary lumps on the body - this is a consequence of hormonal imbalance. In addition, their formation is facilitated by factors such as malfunction of the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, pancreas, and thyroid gland.
4. Metabolic disorders.
   Those associated with enzyme deficiency.
5. Mechanical damage.
   This is another probable reason why a lipoma may appear on a leg, arm or other part of the body - sometimes injuries cause disturbances in the covering tissues, which can lead to the growth of fatty tissue.

Are wen on the body dangerous?

The answer to this question depends on what is considered a danger. Since wen are benign tumors, they will not cause harm to health. Sometimes lipomas transform into malignant tumors, but this happens very rarely - when they become very large and become injured. Most doctors never even have to deal with this even once over many years of practice.

However, there is no need to assume that a lipoma on the neck or any other place on the body is absolutely harmless and harmless. If you neglect the problem, the wen will continue to grow. At some point it will start to cause discomfort. Tumors in prominent places - the face, open parts of the limbs - are especially scary. In addition to physical discomfort, they also have an impact on the psyche.

Fatty deposits in the esophagus can cause coughing, nausea, and some difficulty swallowing. Lipomas in the mediastinum lead to hoarseness of the voice, swelling of the face and pallor of the skin. If the formation is located in the brain, it can make itself felt with meningeal symptoms, painful bouts of vomiting that do not bring relief. Wen in the mammary glands manifests itself as pain and limited movement on the affected side.

Among other things, the following complications are possible:

• inflammation – lipomas become painful, turn red and change their consistency;
• compression of organs and tissues - occurs when the formation greatly increases;
• capsule formation - what happens to the internal old fatty tissues and is fraught with liposarcoma.

How to deal with wen on the body?

Not every tumor needs therapy. Whether a problem such as a lipoma requires treatment or not, and what it should be, is determined by a specialist. Moreover, he does this after a detailed examination and study of the necessary tests. What can be said unequivocally and without visiting a doctor is that wen on the body cannot be treated by squeezing or punctures. This creates the possibility that they will become infected, and this is fraught with unpleasant consequences.

Wen on the body - which doctor should I contact?

Treatment begins with resolving this issue in most patients. Many simply have no idea who to go to when a lipoma appears on the back, abdomen, face, neck, or limbs. First, you should contact a dermatologist or cosmetologist. If the wen is large, then they can refer you to a surgeon. These specialists can handle small tumors on their own.

Ointment for wen on the body

Various ointments and creams are popular methods of treating benign tumors such as lipomas. This therapy has many benefits. She:

• available;
• simple but effective;
• comfortable;
• can be done safely at home;
• does not violate the integrity of the skin;
• leaves no traces behind.

The most common remedies for wen on the body:

• Vishnevsky ointment;
• Ichthyol ointment;
• Bodyaga;
• We see;
• Viaton;
• Bodyaga Forte.

You can prepare a good remedy with your own hands. This is considered garlic ointment. To make it, you don’t even have to put in much effort - you just need to crush the clove and mix the resulting mass with a few drops of vegetable oil. After mixing, the medicine is applied to the lipoma for a couple of days. This period is enough for the wen to open and disappear.

Wen on the body - treatment with folk remedies

Alternative medicine has enough methods to solve this problem. The main thing is to coordinate all of them with your doctor before use. You can choose from the following methods:

1. Kalanchoe.
   This is a healing plant, and for problems such as lipoma, folk remedies based on it are also used. It is enough to simply apply a fresh leaf to the formation. Within a few days of regular procedures, the wen will shrink and then completely disappear.
2. Aloe.
   A good alternative to Kalanchoe. After several compresses from this plant, the lipoma will open and all that remains is to remove the rod from the tubercle.
3. Wheat grains.
   They are crushed and also applied as a compress, and wrapped with film on top. The procedure must be continued until the wen is completely removed.

The lump hurts - what to do?

If pain appears, it almost always means that complications have begun. They definitely cannot be neglected, so it is advisable to quickly see a doctor and get professional advice. As practice shows, when a lipoma hurts, it is often accompanied by symptoms such as:

• redness;
• edema;
• sharp pain when pressing;
• itching;
• increase in size of the sore spot;
• baldness (if the wen is on the hairy areas of the body).

Is it possible to do something at home?

Most often, patients try to get rid of lipoma at home, and recipes for how to cure a lipoma on your own are passed down from generation to generation. Typically, those who are contraindicated for anesthesia, who cannot temporarily change their usual lifestyle, or who are afraid of surgery, resort to the services of alternative medicine. At home, it is rarely possible to completely and permanently get rid of lipoma. Most often, traditional medicine methods can only temporarily slow down its growth. In addition, it is effective to influence the wen from the inside, and not locally.

But if the patient is adamant in his decision to treat himself, then he still needs to undergo examination in the hospital. Based on its results, it is necessary to clarify the diagnosis and determine the degree of lipoma formation. Ideally, it is recommended to do an ultrasound or puncture of the tumor. And only if the research shows good results and the doctor approves self-medication, you can begin to take action. It is recommended to consult with a specialist about possible methods of treating lipoma using non-traditional methods.

Before starting treatment with unconventional methods, consult a specialist!

Treating lipomatosis at home is influenced by the person's overall health and how they respond to herbs. Sometimes the body is responsive to available treatments, in other cases it simply ignores them. When treating a lipoma at home, it is still advisable to periodically, at least once every 3-4 months, examine the lipoma. The doctor must monitor and compare its sizes. If a few efforts are not enough, then self-medication should be stopped. The main thing is not to miss the moment when the patient needs surgical intervention.

Removing wen on the body

When conservative treatment turns out to be ineffective, you need to think about how to get rid of wen on the body through surgery. Before surgery, the patient must be sent for a general blood test. In addition, many have to donate blood for RW, hepatitis and HIV. Until the accompanying symptoms of inflammation are eliminated, surgery is not performed.

Surgical removal of lipoma

Whether surgery is necessary or not is ultimately decided by a specialist. Lipoma removal is recommended if:

• it grows quickly;
• began to get sick;
• gets wet;
• inflamed.

Such types of formations as angiolipomas are also eliminated. These wen are considered potentially dangerous, which is why doctors strongly recommend getting rid of them. Sometimes operations are prescribed at the request of patients. This happens, as a rule, in cases where the tumor is located in a visible place - the face, head, neck - and causes aesthetic discomfort.

Lipoma removal with laser

A modern method that is ideal for removing benign formations. After laser operation, the risk of tumor reappearance is minimized. In addition, this method allows you to remove a lipoma without bruising, pain, swelling, or inflammation. The laser beam destroys the wen along with the capsule and all residual fragments and removes them from the subcutaneous tissue. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and takes no longer than half an hour.

Removal of lipoma using radio wave method

During this procedure, the lipoma is removed from the body using a radio knife. The operation is contactless. Before wen is removed from the body using this method, the affected area is treated with a local anesthetic. The entire excision process takes no longer than 15–30 minutes, and rehabilitation takes a week. No pre-treatment is required during the operation.

Diagnosis of the disease

If a superficial subcutaneous lipoma appears, it is recommended to make an appointment with an oncologist or surgeon. If the wen is deep, the patient may complain of pain in the projection of the organs that are under pressure. Laboratory signs of the disease include high levels of cholesterol in the blood.

Instrumental diagnostics are prescribed if signs of more dangerous diseases appear. Using ultrasound, the exact parameters and structure of the formation, its depth, and connection with surrounding tissues are determined. If a wen appears under the capsule of a parenchymal organ, its size and structure can be determined using ultrasound.

Differential diagnosis includes exclusion of oncology, aneurysm, and parasitic cyst. If kidney cancer is suspected, tests are prescribed to determine tumor markers. To exclude an hydatid cyst, a CT scan is performed.

The study evaluates the size and contents of the tumor. Additionally, parameters such as density and structure are studied. If the lipoma is malignant, a CT scan will reveal an excessive concentration of blood vessels. The advantages of the technique include clear visualization of soft tissues.