Lipedema Blog

  Understanding the Key Differences: Lipedema Liposuction vs. Cosmetic Liposuction Have you ever heard of lipedema? It’s a condition that affects millions of women worldwide. It causes an abnormal buildup of fat cells in the legs, buttocks, and hips, which can lead to pain, discomfort, and even disability.  While there are several treatment options available, liposuction has become a popular choice among patients. However, not all liposuction procedures are the same. In fact, there are two distinct types of liposuction that are often confused: lipedema liposuction and cosmetic liposuction.  Understanding

  On March 6th, we honor and celebrate the awareness, understanding, and support of those with lymphedema. Lymphedema is a chronic condition that is often overlooked, and World Lymphedema Day was created to bring awareness to this condition and support those living with it. March is Lymphedema Awareness month, a time to put on your light blue ribbon and find creative ways to participate in educating the world on lymphatic diseases. The highlight of the month, World Lymphedema Day, falls on March 6th this year. The Lymphatic Network hosts a

Before tackling the issues and symptoms associated with lipedema, it is important to assess your vein health by working closely with a vein specialist. Vein issues and lipedema, both can cause painful, heavy legs, and tenderness, so it can be difficult to know if your symptoms are related to veins or solely to lipedema. An experienced vein specialist can get you on the right path to a diagnosis and treatment plan. Common Vein Issues Venous insufficiency causes inflammation in the veins which can contribute to lipedema swelling (edema) and inflammation.

March is Lymphedema Awareness month, a time to put on your light blue ribbon and find creative ways to participate in educating the world on lymphatic diseases. The highlight of the month, World Lymphedema Day, falls on March 6th this year. The Lymphatic Network hosts a wide range of events all around the world for the community to participate in, both digitally and in person. Sign up for events and presentations on their home page, or use their guide to getting involved and participating on World Lymphedema Day. All month

Chronic swelling (also referred to as “edema”) in the legs is a risk factor for eventually developing cellulitis, venous insufficiency, and is one of the primary symptoms of lipedema. A recent study showed that swelling of the legs from any cause leads to an increased risk for leg skin infections or cellulitis. For women suffering from Lipedema, this can add insult to injury in an already debilitating disease accompanied by sensitive and easily bruised skin. If left untreated, cellulitis can move into the lymph nodes and bloodstream and require more

As we ring in the new year, the world continues to create find new normals in a pandemic as the coronavirus variants keep us on our toes. As we now well know, people of any age and gender can be infected with COVID-19, but there are a number of conditions that make individuals more likely to get severely ill from the virus. New research has shown that the risk of severe COVID-19 increases as the number of underlying medical conditions increases in a person and that individuals with an increased

Lipedema Standard of Care As of May 28, 2021, Dr. Wright and nearly two dozen other Lipedema experts led by Dr. Karen Herbst published 85 consensus statements making up the first ever Standard of Care Guidelines for Lipedema in the United States. Prior to it’s publication, other countries such as Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands have documented and published Standards of Care for women with Lipedema, but the United States continued to lag behind it’s international colleagues. Ultimately, this resulted in American women with Lipedema being underdiagnosed,

It’s not uncommon for women with Lipedema to either be misdiagnosed with severe obesity, or diagnosed with both Lipedema and obesity. In either scenario, it can be difficult to know what the next step should be. And if your doctor is recommending a serious surgery, such as bariatric surgery, to address obesity, it can be even more difficult to understand the relationship that has with lipedema, and how treatments should work so that both issues are addressed.  Typically, BMI plays a large role in the starting point for obesity diagnosis,

There’s nothing more frustrating than sticking closely to an exercise routine and never deviating from a diet without any results to show for it. While some may attribute this scenario to a subpar attempt at fighting fat, for many, there is an underlying medical reason that weight isn’t being lost despite a concentrated effort. When diet and exercise aren’t doing the trick and in some cases, weight continues to accumulate over time, it’s time to look more closely at what could be causing this to happen, as seen in this

Hi everyone – it’s Cat again! If you haven’t read my story or seen any of my videos before, I’m a long-time patient of Dr. Wright and am working towards completing a total of five Lipedema liposuction surgeries with him. I’ve put together some helpful tips and a bit about my story, and you can find all my videos on Dr. Wrights YouTube channel. At the end of February, I hit the one-year mark since undergoing my second Lipedema surgery. My initial goal was to get all five surgeries completed