Thick legs? When could it be lipedema?

2021-02-11T13:38:14.096Z

Almost four million people in Germany suffer from lipedema. How to recognize the fat distribution disorder and what helps against it in the long term.

Almost four million people in Germany suffer from lipedema.

How to recognize the fat distribution disorder and what helps against it in the long term.

Most women are affected by lipedema.
Genetic predisposition and female hormones are supposed to trigger the development of the disorder, as Professor Stefanie Reich-Schupke from the German Society for Phlebology explains in an interview with Apotheken Umschau: "Hormonal causes are likely because the symptoms usually begin in phases of hormonal changes such as puberty or after pregnancy ”.
According to the doctor, in the early stages it can be difficult to distinguish lipedema from simple obesity *.
The following symptoms indicate that it could be lipedema.

Lipedema is often confused - also by medical professionals - with lymphedema or overweight and obesity (adiposity).

But it is a pathological disorder of fat distribution, which can be associated not only with more body mass, but also with enormous pain.

In lipedema patients, fat cells multiply in an uncontrolled manner in the fatty tissue of the subcutaneous tissue, but usually not everywhere on the body.

The legs, hips, buttocks and / or arms in particular are affected by the increase in fat.

The ankles and wrists usually stay slim.

Water retention occurs between the fat cells in the affected areas of the body.

This edema presses on the surrounding tissue, which can lead to severe pain.

Lipedema patients struggle with discomfort, especially when it is hot and after long periods of standing.

In the advanced stages of the disease, the only thing that can help is costly surgery, which is often not paid for by the health insurers.

Surgery relieves lipedema symptoms in the long term - but health insurance companies rarely pay

In the early stages of lipedema, manual lymphatic drainage and custom-made compression stockings provide relief.

In addition, those affected should exercise

as often as possible

: “Water sports are best.

They have a similar effect to lymphatic drainage and are gentle on the joints ”, quoted the Apotheken Umschau, specialist in dermatology and venereology Stefanie Reich-Schupke.

In the advanced stage, when the lipedema leads to pronounced bulges of fat on the knees and thighs that interfere with walking, usually only an operation can help.

A targeted liposuction (vibration liposuction) removes the diseased fat masses under local anesthesia.

Depending on the findings, such an operation can cost up to 5,000 euros.

However, the long-term

results

would speak for it: "

Investigations over a period of up to eleven years after the liposuction showed that the legs were still slim and the body proportions were still normal,

" said Apotheken Umschau, quoting Professor Wilfried Schmeller from the Hanse-Klinik Lübeck.

A quarter of the patients no longer need any therapy after the procedure, some still wear compression stockings and go to lymphatic drainage - but less often and with far fewer symptoms.

Above all, it is important that the procedure is carried out by an experienced specialist in a specialized clinic and not by a cosmetic surgeon.

"Anyone who specializes only in cosmetic liposuction is not familiar with the clinical picture," says Schmeller.

The operation is more complex, and several interventions are often necessary.

The catch:

Health insurance companies only pay for vibration liposuction in individual cases on the grounds that the long-term effectiveness of the method has not been sufficiently proven

, as reported by the North German Broadcasting Corporation.

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