Lipedema

Not to be confused with lymphedema obesity, lipedema is a condition that causes irregular and uneven fat distribution in the following regions: legs and buttocks. As the disorder worsens, problems arise, such as pain, bruising, and swelling. The primary cause of lipedema is a significant hormonal change. An estimated sixteen million women in the United States suffer from lipedema.

Lipedema Stages

According to current medical reports, lipedema has four stages. Stage one includes the enlargement below the top layer of skin and an even skin surface. Stage two comprises two primary changes to the skin: an uneven skin pattern and fat deposits. Stage three involves large growths of fat that cause severe deformity of the knee and thigh regions. During stage four, lipolymphedema will begin to appear. 

Early-Stage Treatment

The most effective early-stage treatments for lipedema are exercise therapy, herbal/hormone therapy, and tumescent liposuction. Exercise therapy can help reduce the symptoms of lipedema. Exercising increases the venous system’s activity because it increases fluid drainage.  

Herbal therapy and hormonal therapy can combat lipedema symptoms because hormonal problems are the leading cause of lipedema. 

Tumescent liposuction is a liposuction procedure to remove excess fat by injecting tumescent fluid into the body. Results last up to five years, making it the most effective treatment.

Late Stage Treatments

As lipedema progresses, you will have to turn to reductive surgeries to remove fat deposits. Reductive surgery is one of the most effective yet invasive methods for dealing with late-stage lipedema.

Compression therapy is another excellent method to handle late-stage lipedema. Compression therapy involves wearing garments or bandages to hinder the progression of symptoms.

Performed by certified practitioners, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) uses massaging techniques to draw fluid out of the lymphatic channels and return it into circulation. MLD reduces disease progression and improves mobility. 

Just as with early-stage lipedema, hormonal therapy and herbal therapy can be used as treatment.

An Ideal Minneapolis Lipedema Treatment: AirSculpt

A lasting and effective treatment for lipedema in Minneapolis is AirSculpt, which boasts more precision and less invasiveness than alternative solutions. 

First, our surgeons numb the skin using an AirPen. An AirPen is our patented tool that distributes topical numbing solutions to the targeted area using air pressure differential.

Next, our surgeons create a minuscule, perfectly symmetric entryway using a biopsy punch tool. Our surgeons remove the fat through this entryway so that you will heal with an inconspicuous freckle-sized scar. 

Where most procedures use something risky like general anesthesia, AirSculpt uses the safer alternative, local anesthetics. After our surgeons create an entryway, our surgeons apply local anesthetics. Then, our surgeons soften the fat while tightening the skin in preparation for extraction.

Finally, our surgeons use the AirSculpt cannula to remove the fat through the entryway. Like berries off a bush, our surgeons individually pluck out fat cells with a level of precision and accuracy that no other procedure can match! 

For those looking for a safe and effective method to treat lipedema, AirSculpt Lipedema Treatment is a procedure for you!