There are three stages of lipedema. When your doctor diagnoses you, he or she will tell you which stage you’ve reached. Usually, women don’t receive a diagnosis of this condition until they are in Stage 2 or 3. This is because the symptoms and signs in Stage 1 are quite subtle. Most women simply think they are carrying extra weight. When women cannot improve the appearance of their lower body whatever they do, that is when they start seeking help. Unfortunately, diagnosing lipedema is also notoriously difficult, even for medical professionals. It’s not a well-understood condition. Even doctors sometimes mistake the signs for other conditions. For this reason, there’s often a delay in getting professional help and treatment. There are no treatments to cure lipedema. There are, however, some options available to reduce the severity of the symptoms and improve quality of life. The most effective is, undoubtedly, lipedema liposuction.
Conservative Therapies and Lipedema
Usually, doctors recommend that women with lipedema try conservative therapies first. This is especially likely if you’re in Stage 1 or 2. Doctors recommend manually draining lymph nodes, changing their diets, and using compression garments. While these can be helpful, they won’t remove the problematic fat. In most places, conservative therapies are the first choice for lipedema. These treatments aim to stop disease progression while reducing edema. However, most patients still find their subcutaneous fat volume increase, and their symptoms eventually worsen over time. Liposuction, on the other hand, does remove the excess fatty deposits from the problem areas. The outcome may not be perfect and will not necessarily be permanent. Nevertheless, it can help women live a more normal life.
How Does Liposuction for Lipedema Work?
Lipo for lipedema involves making small incisions in the problem areas and removing the excess fat deposits with a cannula. Tumescent lipo has a relatively low risk, and medical professionals consider it to be an appropriate and safe procedure. Liposuction restores the appearance of the affected areas to a more normal aesthetic. It significantly reduces the amount of fat in affected limbs. It also helps the limbs to be more proportionate to the remainder of the patient’s body. This helps to boost self-confidence in the sufferer. It also helps her to enjoy a better quality of life through improved movement and reduced pain. Most women who opt for this treatment find that they enjoy an excellent outcome.
Should I Rely on Conservative Therapies at Stage 2?
Although Stage 2 may seem too soon to try liposuction, it’s a good time to try this treatment. Surgeons will need to remove less fat, and recovery may be easier. In fact, there are studies to prove that lipo at Stage 2 offers a more sustainable fat reduction. It also reduces the patient’s need for conservative therapies in the long term. If you wait until Stage 3, more problems are likely to occur. This could result in severe and irreversible damage. Secondary lymphedema may develop, and this results in permanent lymphatic system damage. Also, the need to remove larger volumes of fat in Stage 3 means excess skin tissue may remain afterward. This may cause further problems and symptoms and may require additional surgery to remove it.
For these reasons, doctors recommend lipedema liposuction at the earlier stages of the disease. Studies have shown that when surgeons implement liposuction in Stage 2, it offers more benefits. It effectively prevents disease progression and improves the quality of life. As long as you chose the right surgeon with the right expertise, lipo is an excellent choice at Stage 2. Contact Artlipo today to find out more about how we can help.
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.
