Tuesday, Sept 24 2024

Lipedema: Abnormal female fat that just won't go away Overview

By A Mystery Man Writer

Millions of women have a type of excess fat that feels like small pebbles on their arms, lower abdomen, hips, buttocks and legs (gynoid area) that is painful, and resists extreme nutritional (anorexia, weight loss surgery) and physical fat loss attempts. Located under the skin, normal subcutaneous adipose (fat) tissue or SAT and its underlying fascia and freely moving connective tissue fibers is not painful and it is what gives our bodies shape and form. Lipedema SAT, on the other hand has thickened and poorly mobile connective fibers forming a netlike structure under the skin, and applying pressure causes an aching, stabbing, bruise-like feeling. About 50% of women with lipedema have hypermobile skin, joints and blood vessels throughout the body; these vessels are easily damaged and can bleed into the tissue forming a bruise about 75% of the time.1 Lymphatics function well initially, but cannot sustain fluid flow out of SAT causing aneurysms to form in the lymphatics and they leak; the definition of lipedema is “fluid in fat.”