A lipoma is a type of benign tumor that is composed of fatty tissue. These are the most common form of soft tissue mass or tumor. Lipomas are soft to the touch, usually moveable, and are generally painless. Lipomas come in all sizes. Many lipomas are very small (under one centimeter diameter) but can sometimes enlarge to sizes greater than six centimeters, or even grow over several years to "giant lipomas" that are more than 10-20 centimeters in diameter.

The most common type is the "superficial subcutaneous lipoma", i.e. just below the surface of the skin. Most of these occur on the trunk, thighs and the forearms, although they may be found anywhere in the body where fat is located.

How is a Lipoma Treated?

Usually, treatment of a lipoma is not necessary, unless the tumor becomes painful or restricts your body's movement. They are usually removed for cosmetic reasons, if they grow very large, if they are in an uncomfortable body area, or for pathological diagnosis to check that they are not a more dangerous type of tumor such as a liposarcoma.

Lipomas are normally removed by simple excision, which is usually a surgical procedure that can be done in the surgeon's office (for very small lipomas) or as an outpatient procedure (for larger lipomas). This cures the majority of cases, with about 1-2% of lipomas recurring after excision