WHAT IS LIPEDEMA?

Lipedema is a disorder of fatty tissue generally affecting the legs, which causes the legs, and sometimes the arms, but not the feet, to accumulate fatty tissue. It is part of the spectrum of soft tissue lymphatic disorders treated at City Surgical Care.

It is distinguishable by five characteristics:

• It can be inherited
• It occurs almost exclusively in women
• It can occur in women of all sizes, from the seriously underweight to the morbidly obese
• It involves the excess deposit and expansion of fat cells in an unusual and particular pattern bilateral and symmetrical and usually from the waist to a distinct line just above the ankles
• Unlike the typical fat of obesity, lipedemic fat generally cannot be lost through diet and exercise.