Lipedema sufferers considering liposuction worry whether lipedema comes back after surgery. It's important to understand that surgery does not eliminate or cure lipedema completely. Essentially, lipedema doesn't go away and, therefore, cannot come back. Lipedema is a progressive condition that worsens over time. The benefit of surgery is that it significantly slows the progression of lipedema. The condition develops more slowly afterward and patients experience long-term relief from symptoms. Many patients experience years of relief from their worst lipedema symptoms.

Does Liposuction Cure Lipedema?

Lipedema sufferers need to understand that, as yet, there is no cure for lipedema. Therefore, the best solution is to find the best way to treat the condition that produces long-lasting results. While liposuction is the gold standard approach to lipedema, it is a treatment to manage the condition, not eradicate it. Liposuction is highly effective because it addresses the cause of the condition – the abnormal fat. The purpose of liposuction surgery is to remove fat, including lipedema fat. Removing this abnormal fat gives patients relief from symptoms like pain and difficulty moving that the fat causes.

What Happens If I Don't Have Liposuction to Treat Lipedema?

Lipedema is a progressive condition, which means it only gets worse over time. Once you have lipedema fat, it will continue to accumulate over time. Only surgery gets rid of lipedema fat, and lifestyle changes have no impact. Therefore, if lipedema goes untreated, eventually, the symptoms become worse.

At first, the symptoms of lipedema are quite mild. It can be easy to overlook them initially. Doctors also often miss the symptoms and misdiagnose patients with obesity. It's only in the later stages the symptoms become more obvious. By this point, they are more debilitating and also more aesthetically unappealing.

By the time patients reach stage 3 of the disease, they experience significant pain in their limbs. The accumulation of fat continues, causing disfiguring lobules of fat on the arms and legs. It becomes harder to move because the limbs are heavy, bulky, and painful. The skin on the legs often rubs together causing painful chafing too.

As the condition progresses, patients experience worsening physical health. They struggle to stay active because of their mobility issues. That means they could develop severe secondary health conditions like obesity, lymphedema, cardiac problems, and type 2 diabetes.

Patients find suffering from lipedema affects their emotional and mental well-being too. Their disproportionate body shape makes them feel self-conscious and lack self-esteem. They also struggle to socialize and so become more isolated and depressed.

There are some treatments for lipedema that don't involve liposuction. Doctors often recommend these conservative approaches. These non-surgical treatments include wearing compression garments and having manual lymphatic drainage massages. These treatments can help bring short-term relief to symptoms like pain and swelling. Unfortunately, they don't bring lasting relief and must be repeated on an ongoing basis. Also, conservative treatments only address the symptoms of lipedema not the cause. Therefore, they don't slow the progression of the disease. All the time, the condition continues to get worse.

With that in mind, it's certainly worth considering having liposuction as a lipedema sufferer. Liposuction produces long-lasting results and greatly improves patients' quality of life.

Learn More - Do I Need to Have Treatment for Lipedema Stage One?

Is It Worth Having Liposuction for Lipedema?

Although some patients worry about undergoing surgery for lipedema, liposuction is the gold-standard treatment at the present time. The main reason for having liposuction is because it produces much longer-lasting results than conservative treatments. Patients experience years of relief post-surgery. Some continue to have significantly reduced symptoms for as long as a decade or more.

Liposuction reduces pain, improves mobility, and reduces bruising. As an added advantage, it also improves the patient's body shape. In turn, this helps them to develop better self-confidence and self-esteem. With less heavy, large legs, it's also easier to exercise and stay healthier. Therefore, liposuction contributes significantly towards improvement to the quality of life for lipedema sufferers overall.

Who Can Offer Liposuction for Lipedema Sufferers?

There are many surgeons today who offer liposuction to lipedema sufferers. Yet just because surgeons offer treatment doesn't mean they always have the right experience. Lipedema is a significant condition and surgeons must take a cautious approach to treatment. The right surgeon is one who is not only a liposuction specialist, but who also understands the nature of lipedema. Dr. Su at ArtLipo is one of the top choices for surgeons in Tampa, Florida. He is a longstanding expert in the field of liposuction, with many years of experience in the field. Furthermore, he regularly treats lipedema sufferers at all stages of the disease. The results he achieves are outstanding. To find out more, take a look at the before and after photo gallery on the ArtLipo website. You can see for yourself his impressive patient outcomes. Get in touch with the professional ArtLipo team now to arrange your consultation.