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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
A lipoma is a slow-growing, fatty lump that's most often situated between your skin and the underlying muscle layer. Often a lipoma is easy to identify because it moves readily with slight finger pressure. It's doughy to touch and usually not tender. You may have more than one lipoma. Lipomas can occur at any age, but they're most often detected during middle age.
A lipoma isn't cancer and is usually harmless. Treatment generally isn't necessary, but if the lipoma is in a location that bothers you, is painful or is growing, you may want to have it removed.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Benign neoplasms of the skin. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 12, 2009.
- Collison DW. Lipomas. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec10/ch127/ch127f.html. Accessed Nov. 16, 2009.
- Pandya KA, et al. Benign skin lesions: Lipomas, epidermal inclusion cysts, muscle and nerve biopsies. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2009;89:677.
- Salam GA, et al. Lipoma excision. American Family Physician. 2002;65:901.
- Brenn T. Neoplasms of subcutaneous fat. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2003. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2951459. Accessed Nov. 18, 2009.
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