Skin Lipoma: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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[Causes of Lipoma Skin
It occurs at any age, more often in women, can reach considerable proportions. Multiple lipomatosis has three varieties: the Dercum disease (lipomatosis dolorosa), benign symmetrical lipomatosis (Madelung's disease) and family multiple lipomatosis inherited in an autosomal dominant type, appearing at a young age.
Pathomorphology
Microscopically, the tumor is constructed by the type of conventional fat tissue and differs from it by the size of lobules and fat cells. The latter are very small or reach a giant size. In some cases, there is a proliferation of connective tissue between the lobules and individual fat cells, sometimes significant, fibrolipoma is formed. If there is a large number of vessels in it, the tumor is called angiolipoma.
In Dercum's disease, the histological pattern is often similar to that described above, but in some cases, the structure of angiolipoma or granulomatous structure with the presence of giant cells of foreign bodies is observed.
In benign symmetrical lipomatosis and familial multiple multicentric lipomatosis, the nodes have the structure of an ordinary lipoma. In the systemic form of multiple lipomatosis, in addition to mature fat cells, undifferentiated mesenchymal, as well as intermediate cells, contain a different amount of lipids in their cytoplasm. In well-differentiated areas, mature fat cells are usually found, usually located in the mucoid stroma, in less-differentiated zones there are lipoblasts of different degree of maturity containing lipids, as well as areas consisting of fibroblastic elements.
Symptoms of Lipoma Skin
Lipoma is a benign tumor of adipose tissue, manifested by single or multiple subcutaneous nodes, rounded or lobed, soft-elastic consistency, usually not soldered to the skin.
With multiple symmetrical lipomatosis, the foci are large, confluent, elastic consistency, localized more often on the neck, in the occipital region, the upper part of the trunk, and the proximal parts of the limbs.
Single or multiple lipomas are usually located on the abdomen, back, limbs. They are soft to the touch, painless, mobile, the colors of normal skin, with a diameter of 1 cm to 10 cm.
There are several varieties of lipomatosis.
Multiple symmetrical lipomatosis (Madelung syndrome) occurs in middle-aged men. Eruptions are represented by painless lipomas that merge with each other. They arise on the trunk, neck, sometimes on the limbs. When merging with a lump around the neck, a kind of "clamp" is formed.
The multiple painful lipomas that appear on the trunk and extremities are called Dercum's disease (painful lipomatosis).
Lipomatosis sometimes has a family character with an autosomal dominant type of inheritance.
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Treatment of Skin Lipoma
Single and multiple lipomas are removed until they reach large sizes.