A lipoma is a benign tumour of mature fat cells in the subcutaneous layer — soft, mobile, and usually not tender.
Book an assessment →A lipoma is a benign lump of fat cells in a thin capsule under the skin. It feels soft and rubbery and slides under the finger, unlike a cyst, which is tied to the skin. Small, stable lipomas can be left alone; removal is a short excision under local anaesthetic. A firm, fixed or fast-growing lump is investigated first. See skin growths, lumps and bumps.
Encapsulated adipocytes beneath the skin rather than within it, which is why the overlying skin moves freely and the lump moves under the finger.
Mobility is the useful sign. A cyst is tethered to the skin and often has a punctum; a lipoma slides beneath it. A firm, fixed, rapidly enlarging or painful lump is not assumed to be a lipoma at all.
Size, depth, mobility, rate of growth, tenderness, and number. Multiple lipomas warrant a broader look.
Surgical removal where size, site or symptoms justify it. Small asymptomatic lipomas are frequently left alone, and saying so is a legitimate outcome of an assessment.
Rapid growth, firmness, fixation to deeper tissue or pain are reasons for further investigation before any cosmetic removal is discussed.
At IN Eternity Clinic the lump is examined by hand first: its size, depth, how freely it moves, whether it is tender, and how long it has been there. Several lipomas, or a family history of them, are noted because they can point to an inherited tendency.
Where the examination is not typical of a simple lipoma, imaging such as an ultrasound scan is arranged before anything is removed, and referral is made when a specialist opinion is the right next step.
Removal is a short procedure under local anaesthetic. The lipoma is lifted out with its capsule through an incision planned along the skin's natural lines where possible, and the wound is stitched. The tissue can be sent for testing.
A scar is part of any excision, and its length depends on the size of the lipoma. Recurrence is uncommon when the capsule is removed whole.
“A lipoma slides under the skin; a cyst is tied to it. A lump that does neither is not assumed to be either.”
A lipoma is a benign tumour of mature fat cells in the subcutaneous layer — soft, mobile, and usually not tender.
Mobility is the useful sign. A cyst is tethered to the skin and often has a punctum; a lipoma slides beneath it. A firm, fixed, rapidly enlarging or painful lump is not assumed to be a lipoma at all.
Size, depth, mobility, rate of growth, tenderness, and number. Multiple lipomas warrant a broader look.
Rapid growth, firmness, fixation to deeper tissue or pain are reasons for further investigation before any cosmetic removal is discussed.
A lipoma itself is benign. The concern is a different fatty tumour that can look similar, which is why a large, deep, firm or fast-growing lump is investigated before removal rather than assumed to be a lipoma.
Lipomas do not usually shrink on their own. Many stay the same size for years, and leaving a small, stable one alone is a reasonable choice.
These sources describe mechanisms and general evidence. They are not a promise of any individual result; suitability is decided at an in-person assessment.
Every assessment at IN Eternity Clinic is carried out personally by Medical Director Dr Sin Yong at 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza. If the honest answer is that treatment should wait, you will be told that.
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