Discovering a lump is a worrying experience for anyone and the first thing you should do it seek medical advice in order to have whatever it is diagnosed and treated. Lipomas are non cancerous soft fatty lumps which appear under the skin but often we are too afraid to have them checked out for fear it may be something more serious.

With around one in every hundred developing a lipoma, they are pretty common and many will have a lipoma without even realising. Those lipomas that are detected or even visible, depending on the size and location are generally no bigger than the size of a pea and when pressed, are moveable and generally completely painless.

Most people who have a lipoma are thought to inherit this condition and this type of lipoma or lipomas is known as familial multiple lipomatosis. The growth of a lipoma is irrelevant to size or weight although they tend to be more common in adults than children.

Lipomas can be discovered just about anywhere in the body but the most common areas tend to be the torso, thighs and arms. Although not likely to grow in size, lipomas can adjust in size over time. Should they grow to a size they makes them noticeable or causes them to be uncomfortable then they can be removed through surgery. Surgery is a simple procedure and can be done with a local anaesthetic. In the majority of cases, lipomas are left alone and do not affect the quality of life of the individual.