If you have obese legs, you may wonder whether you’re just overweight or whether there’s a medical cause. Lipedema is one medical condition that causes the legs to be obese. However, not every woman with large legs suffers from lipedema. So, how can you tell if your legs are big because of obesity or because of a health issue? Here, we look at some other signs that could let you know you’re a lipedema sufferer.
The Differences Between Lipedema and Obesity
Although at first glance, regular fat and lipedema fat may look identical, they are different in terms of their makeup. Regular fat responds to dieting and exercise. If your legs are large because you’re overweight, they should slim down if you work out and eat healthily. On the other hand, lipedema fat doesn’t respond to dieting or exercise. Even dieting and working out excessively won’t change the appearance of your legs if you have lipedema. In fact, they’ll continue to get bigger over time as lipedema is a progressive condition. Even women who are otherwise underweight can have large legs due to lipedema.
Also Read: Lipedema or Just Fat Legs – A Surgeon’s Guide
Which Signs Should I Look for to Indicate I Have Lipedema?
It can be difficult to determine if you are suffering from lipedema. Unfortunately, it’s still a poorly understood condition. Even medical professionals lack an understanding of the disease and struggle to diagnose it correctly. There are, however, crucial signs to look out for that could indicate you’re a sufferer.
The way in which fat accumulates on your body could indicate you have lipedema. Women with lipedema usually develop fat legs, but their upper body remains slim. Their fat accumulates on their legs, thighs, buttocks, hips, and sometimes upper arms but not on the waist or breasts. With obesity, women tend to accumulate fat relatively evenly across the whole body. While some areas may look larger due to genetic patterns of fat accumulation, generally, overweight women will look large overall.
The fat is also different in terms of texture. Regular fat is rubbery and smooth to the touch, while lipedema fat feels like marbles, knots, or pearls. People with lipedema often find their legs are tender to touch and may bruise easily too.
How Can I Find Out Whether I Have Lipedema?
Many women with lipedema struggle to get a diagnosis. Most family doctors are unfamiliar with the condition and often misdiagnose them as suffering from obesity. Therefore, if you believe you may have lipedema, seeking advice from a specialist is the best course of action. A specialist knows the signs and symptoms to look out for. They have the necessary experience and understanding to give a correct diagnosis. Getting help as quickly as possible is key to achieving the best outcomes. So, it’s best to see a specialist sooner rather than later.
Dr. Su at ArtLipo in Tampa, Florida, is a lipedema and liposuction expert. He can diagnose lipedema in patients, even if they are at an early stage of the condition. To find out whether your obese legs are due to lipedema, get in touch with us today.
Dr. Thomas Su, is the owner and cosmetic surgeon of Artistic Lipo. He has led our full-time clinic specializing in awake-only liposuction since 2007. Dr. Su began his medical career in internal medicine, practicing that until 2005, when he began to provide a full spectrum of non-invasive cosmetic procedures.
