Lipedema Blog

What Is Dercum’s Disease? Dercum‘s disease, also known as Adiposis Dolorosa, is a rare condition that is characterized by multiple, painful fatty lipomas (benign, fatty tumors). It occurs in men and women but is more common in post-menopausal women. The lipomas are located primarily in the subcutaneous tissue. They can occur almost anywhere but often occur on the arms near elbow, legs near the knee and the trunk. Unlike ordinary lipomas, there is also pain that can be severe and sometimes debilitating. It is a chronic condition, meaning that it is a long-lasting condition that is often progressive. Treatment

No matter how much research continues to support the proper diagnosis and identification of lipedema, there is still opposition in the medical community, including from insurance companies for lipedema insurance coverage. Lipedema is a very real and present condition that affects millions of individuals throughout the world every year. If you have been diagnosed with lipedema or face the challenge of finding a proper diagnosis, you’re no doubt concerned with receiving effective treatment and even how to pay for that treatment. A recent court win by UnitedHealthcare seems to have

When dealing with lipedema, patients will not experience a quick, single-treatment recovery but instead a lifelong ordeal that can be difficult to maintain. How you handle your lipedema can make all the difference when it comes to everyday life activities. This Lipedema management is best handled through a variety of treatment options that can help reduce the appearance of lipedema. These treatments also work to decrease various symptoms that can make movement difficult. Initial Steps for Lipedema Management The first steps for managing your lipedema symptoms usually involve more conservative

While lipedema has been recognized for quite some time now, the idea behind lipedema liposuction is still considered to be a recent development. Treatment for lipedema using liposuction is the brainchild of German dermatologist and surgeon Dr. Gerhard Sattler. He began his studies at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University located in Frankfurt, where he received his degree in human medicine. Dr. Sattler completed his doctoral studies in 1988 and became a long-term physician with Darmstadt Hospital. Dr. Sattler’s studies started a journey that would eventually lead him to create liposuction

While a variety of treatment options currently exist to help alleviate and reduce the symptoms of lipedema, it is often lymph sparing liposuction that provides the biggest change. Lymph sparing liposuction is often recommended for individuals diagnosed with lipedema who have not experienced significant results with initial treatment options. Lipedema left untreated, can cause significant damage to the body. When this is the case, we recommend lymph sparing liposuction. What is Lymph Sparing Liposuction? Lymph sparing liposuction is a minimally invasive treatment that uses high pressured water to loosen up lipedema

There has been some movement from a major health insurance provider, Aetna.    Policy number 0031, which addresses Aetna’s policy on cosmetic surgery was updated on March 29, 2019.  This updated policy does include a subheading for “Liposuction for Lipedema”. The policy summarizes the literature Aetna reviewed when updating the policy.  This literature included the standard of care clinical guidelines from Dutch and German lipedema experts. The policy also reviews studies showing the benefit of liposuction for Lipedema. It is not entirely clear from the update what this means because

Currently, most of the supplies needed to manage lipedema and lymphedema are not covered by Medicare. Compression garments, donning devices and wraps, which are critical for the proper care and management of these diseases are not covered except when caused by cancer treatment. These garments are quite expensive and need to be replaced as often as every six months. The lymphedema can be just devastating when caused by an inherited condition as is the case of lipedema or an infection. If lymphedema is not properly controlled by compression garments it

On the tv show The Doctors, lipedema has once again come up. This time it’s with someone who’s big behind has made her a star. This isn’t the first time I’ve run into Raylynn on the internet. I came across her picture elsewhere, where people were less kind about her body type. I went to her Instagram account and could instantly tell what she had was lipedema. It’s just so obvious with the tiny waist and flat stomach. You can see her lipedema arms getting slightly bigger now too. Anyhow,

              A little-recognized disorder, lipedema, may be responsible, says a local expert. Lipedema makes you look like you’ve been eating too much when in fact, your fat cells are retaining fluids and growing exponentially larger than normal because of this condition. Instagram star Randalin is someone with lipedema who is not shy about her large hips and thighs from lipedema. In fact Randalin seems to have embraced her shape and see her curves as assets. Read More  

Dr Wright and Dr Buck are enrolling patients in a study on Lipedema. The study aims to determine the effect of weight loss on body composition and fat distribution, metabolic function (insulin sensitivity) and adipose tissue biology in women with lipedema before and after diet intervention. These results will be compared to women with obesity without lipedema. The study will last ~8-9 months and requires 5 outpatients visits and 1 inpatient visit before weight loss, and 5 outpatients visits and 1 inpatient visit after weight loss. We aim to achieve