Lipoedema

Conditions

What is Lipoedema?

Lipoedema is a long-term condition that causes abnormal fat buildup in the lower part of your body. Lipoedema most often involves your butt, thighs and calves. Some people have it in their hips or upper arms. It doesn’t affect your hands or feet.

Physical Affects

People sometimes confuse lipoedema with being overweight or lymphedema, but these are different conditions. However, lipoedema can lead to lymphedema. Many people with lipoedema have a body mass index (BMI) higher than 35.

Dieting and exercising can cause you to lose weight in your upper body without changing the areas lipoedema affects in your lower body.

Types Of Lipoedema

You may have more than one type of lipoedema at a time, depending on where you have symptoms. Types of lipoedema include:

Type 1:

Fat is between your belly button and your hips.

Type 2:

Fat is between your pelvis and knees.

Type 3:

Fat is between your pelvis and ankles.

Type 4:

Fat is between your shoulders and wrists.

Type 5:

Fat is between your knees and ankles.

Is Lipoedema Common?

Researchers estimate that 1 in 72,000 people have Lipoedema, but this number is probably low because Lipoedema can look like obesity or Lymphedema. Another global estimate says 11% of females have Lipoedema. The condition is rare in males.

Lypoedema

Causes & Symptoms

The exact cause of lipoedema is unknown. But the condition runs in families in 20% to 60% of cases, so you may inherit it. The condition occurs almost exclusively in women.
Having obesity doesn’t cause lipoedema, but more than half of people with this condition have a BMI higher than 35. You are more likely to get lipoedema if you are female,
have a family history of lipoedema, have a BMI higher than 35.

Possible Causes

Lipoedema may have a connection to hormones because it usually starts or gets worse during:

Puberty.

Pregnancy.

Menopause.

Taking birth control pills, which contain hormones.

Possible Symptoms

Lipoedema symptoms include:

Fat buildup in your butt, thighs, calves and sometimes upper arms on both sides of your body.

Bumps inside the fat that feel like there’s something under your skin.

Pain that can be from mild to severe and from constant to only with pressure.

A heavy feeling in your legs.

Swelling.

Skin that bruises easily.

Fatigue (feeling more tired than usual).

Lypoedema

Treatements

Researchers haven’t found a cure, but lipoedema treatments can help you feel better by reducing pain and inflammation. You can start with simple, noninvasive treatment for lipoedema and switch to more complex treatments if needed.

Lymphatic Drainage Massage

 

A gentle form of skin stretching / massage. More information about this treatment can be found under our Treatments section.

Compression Garments

Compression garments may be socks, sleeves or wraps that have pressure to move fluid from your tissues into circulation. This reduces swelling and your risk of lipoedema complications.

Compression Devices

These pneumatic compression pumps provide on-and-off pressure to keep fluid moving through your lymph vessels and veins so it doesn’t build up in your arms, legs and other parts of your body. The devices work by connecting the pump to a sleeve that wraps around your affected areas. The pump drives a regular cycle of pressure that inflates and deflates the sleeve. Compression pumps may also reduce complications of lipoedema.

Heart-Healthy Diet

This may help slow the progression of lipoedema, especially if you learn about your condition early on. But dieting usually doesn’t get rid of lipoedema like it does with other fat.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Adding foods like fruits, vegetables, fatty fish and whole grains to your diet may help soothe inflammation.

Exercise

Physical exercise is important to stimulate lymphatic drainage.

Don’t Worry

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