A lipoma is a benign tumor, one of the most common forms of soft tissue tumor. It is a tumor of the adipose tissues and is soft to touch. It can occur in various parts of the body, including the face.
Facial Lipoma
- A lipoma is a benign tumor that occurs just under the skin.
- It is soft, sometimes described as doughy, to touch.
- Often, the lipoma is small – less than 5 cm or 2 inches.
- A lipoma is a tumor but it is not cancerous.
- Often, it is harmless so that it does not require treatment. However, if it has grown large and bothersome or painful, then the patient could always choose to have it removed. Often, removal ensures that the lipoma will not develop again. Still, if it is not painful and not very noticeable, most patients leave it as it is.
- Lipomas are rarely serious. However, if the lump grows swiftly, then it is best to consult a doctor.
- Lipomas often occur in middle aged patients – from 40 to 60 years old.However, many of the reported cases involve patients from other age groups, including children. Thus, it can be concluded that the ailment could affect all age groups although the probability is slightly higher for middle aged patients.
- The exact causes why lipomas occur are unknown. Still, it has been noted that it tends to run in families so that genetics could have a hand at lipoma development.
Facial Lipoma Removal
- Although lipomas are usually harmless, a lot of patients wish to have these removed for certain reasons. For instance, people opt to have the lipomas removed when these are painful or have become bothersome.
- Removal of lipomas on the face would follow the same procedure as removal from other parts of the body.
- Often, because the procedure involves the removal of a small tumor, it is done on an outpatient basis. Meaning, the patient will only be in the hospital for a few hours or even just an hour. The length of time that the patient stays in the hospital will depend on a number of factors, including size and number of tumors to be excised.
- Before the lipoma is removed, several tests will be done to determine its size and nature. Also, the doctor would probably order some tests to ensure that the tumor is not malignant.
- When the tumors are removed, they will be sent to the laboratory for further tests.