An Integrative Medicine Approach to Lipomas

If you have a rubbery lump under your skin that moves easily, it may be a lipoma. Lipomas are common benign lumps of fatty tissue. Almost 1 out of every 1,000 people will develop a lipoma. They most commonly appear between the ages of 40 and 60 but can appear at any age and are slightly more common in women.

In addition to genetic factors, lipomas are associated with imbalances in blood sugar and insulin function. An integrative functional medicine approach investigates underlying metabolic factors and uses diet, supplementation, and integrative therapies to rebalance weight and metabolism in order to reduce the risk of lipomas forming.

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What Are Lipomas?

A lipoma is a small round or oval lump of fatty tissue that forms just under your skin. They are usually smaller than two inches in diameter. These fatty growths move easily and usually feel soft or rubbery to the touch. Lipomas can appear anywhere on your body. They are most common on the trunk, back, arms, shoulders, and neck and very rarely form on muscles, internal organs, or the brain.

Lipomas are soft tissue growths that are not cancerous (benign). They usually grow very slowly and are limited to their own encapsulated area. While they don’t usually cause pain, lipomas can cause discomfort if they push on a joint, nerve, or tendon.

While most lipomas are round or oval and symmetrical in shape, pleomorphic lipomas have fat cells of different sizes and shapes. For example, spindle cells found in some lipomas are fat cells that are longer than they are wide.

Depending on the specific makeup of the tissue within a lipoma, they can be classified into different types. Basic conventional lipomas are made up of white fat cells that store energy, while Hhbernomas contain brown fat that generates heat and helps to regulate body temperature. 

An angiolipoma contains fat and blood vessels and is often painful. Fibrolipomas contain fibrous tissue in addition to fat. Lipomas that produce blood cells are called myelolipomas.  

What Are The Possible Causes of Lipomas?

Lipomas seem to have a genetic predisposition and are more common in people who have family members who develop them. These growths are also more common in those with obesity, alcohol abuse, metabolic liver diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and glucose intolerance, which occurs with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. They may sometimes appear after an injury or blunt tissue trauma.

Several genetic conditions involve the formation of multiple lipomas. For example, hereditary multiple lipomatosis or familial multiple lipomatosis is a rare, benign, genetic skin disorder that causes many painless lipomas all over the body. Dercum’s disease (adiposis dolorosa or Anders’ syndrome) is another rare condition that causes painful lipomas to grow on the arms, legs, and trunk. Similarly, Gardner syndrome is a variant of familial adenomatous polyposis that involves the formation of lipomas and many adenomatous intestinal polyps that have a high potential for malignancy. 

Madelung’s disease, or multiple symmetric lipomatosis, causes many painless, non-encapsulated, symmetric fatty deposits in the neck, torso, breasts, abdomen, and upper and lower limbs, especially in genetically susceptible men who chronically consume excessive alcohol.

Functional Medicine Labs to Test for Root Cause of Lipomas

Functional medicine laboratory testing can help to assess factors contributing to lipoma formation and evaluate for the presence of accompanying health issues.

Blood Sugar Balance

Since issues with blood sugar regulation and insulin function can increase the risk of obesity and lipomas, parameters of blood sugar balance can be evaluated with functional medicine testing. A fasting glucose test can measure the level of glucose in the blood when you have not eaten for several hours, usually after an overnight fast. 

In addition, measuring fasting insulin and C-peptide, a marker that the body is producing insulin, can evaluate if there is too much insulin in the blood due to issues like insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic Function & Toxicity

Another way to evaluate these metabolic markers of glucose balance and insulin function in one test is with the Metabolomic Profile. ‍To gain additional insights into cellular health, toxicity, and metabolism, the NutrEval FMV can be used. 

Liver Function Testing

Metabolic imbalances, including being overweight and having blood sugar issues, increase the risk of developing fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and lipomas. A good way to assess liver function is with a Hepatic Function Panel that measures liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase), proteins, and bilirubin. 

Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is another enzyme primarily made in the liver and can show that the body is trying to generate greater levels of glutathione to deal with detoxification or oxidative stress. These tests can help assess if liver dysfunction is contributing to the formation of lipomas.

Additional Labs To Test 

While lipomas are usually easily diagnosed by physical examination, a skin biopsy is sometimes taken to look at the tissue under a microscope to confirm that the growth is not cancerous, such as a liposarcoma.

Imaging studies like ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging scan, or computed tomography scan may also be used to evaluate the location of the growth and differentiate a lipoma from a cyst or other type of tumor. 

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Conventional Treatment for Lipomas

The majority of lipomas do not need any treatment. If a lipoma is causing discomfort or other issues, surgical removal may be done traditionally or with liposuction to remove fatty tissue from the growth using a long, thin needle. 

Holistic Treatment for Lipomas

An integrative dermatology approach to lipomas aims to uncover and address underlying contributing factors. Diet, lifestyle, supplements, and integrative therapies can be used to balance metabolic factors, blood sugar, and insulin levels to allow the body to regulate fat normally and maintain a healthy weight. 

Nutritional Approaches for Lipoma Management

A whole foods-focused, balanced diet can help keep blood sugar and lipid metabolism balanced. A diet rich in fiber, vegetables, legumes, and other high-quality proteins like wild fish and grass-fed meats can help you maintain a balanced weight and fat distribution, reduce insulin resistance, improve markers of fat and sugar metabolism, and reduce inflammation. This approach reduces the consumption of processed simple sugars and carbohydrates and focuses instead on high-fiber foods and complex carbohydrates to keep blood sugars balanced.

A Mediterranean diet is one way of eating in this manner. This dietary approach emphasizes citrus fruits, vegetables, legumes, and complex carbohydrates with moderate fish and olive oil and has been shown to improve blood sugar, insulin, and cholesterol levels. This way of eating has wide-reaching benefits throughout the body, including improving some of the risk factors for lipoma formation.

In addition to simple sugars and carbohydrates, removing alcohol and trans fats from your diet may reduce your risk of lipomas and any accompanying fatty liver disease. Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids with at least one double bond in the trans configuration that are found in processed foods like bakery goods. Consuming trans fats can result in metabolic changes that result in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, abdominal obesity, and type 2 diabetes, which can increase the risk of lipoma formation.

Herbal Remedies for Lipomas

In addition to an anti-inflammatory diet that reduces inflammatory foods, simple sugars, alcohol, and trans-fats, targeted herbal remedies and supplements may help improve metabolic parameters to reduce the risk of lipomas.

Berberine

Berberine is derived from the Chinese medicinal plant Coptis chinensis and is used for its ability to regulate glucose and cholesterol levels, treat obesity, and improve insulin and blood sugar balance. These impacts and its ability to regulate lipid metabolism in several ways make it a promising approach for preventing lipoma formation.

Phosphatidylcholine

Phosphatidylcholine is a fat found in cell membranes. It has been studied as a treatment for reducing lipomas when injected into the fatty growths. Studies show that phosphatidylcholine causes fat cells to break up and reduce in number within fat and muscle tissues, making it a useful treatment for reducing lipomas.

Integrative Medicine and Lifestyle Changes for Lipoma Relief

Integrative medicine approaches can be added to nutrition and supplements to help reduce lipoma formation.

Maintain an Optimal Weight

There is evidence that lipoma formation is associated with obesity. Lipomas tend to increase in size when body weight is gained, so maintaining a healthy body weight can reduce your risk. Maintaining an optimal weight also helps control blood sugar balance and related consequences like metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease.

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is an effective, noninvasive alternative treatment modality for reducing lipoma size. 

Light Therapy

Studies show that laser light therapy using a subcutaneous, micro-pulsed 1,444 nm wavelength Nd:YAG laser procedure reduced or completely removed lipomas without causing serious adverse effects. 

Ayurvedic Medicine

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian form of healing that looks at imbalances within the physical body, mind, spirit, and life forces. An Ayurvedic approach to lipomas can incorporate herbal remedies in addition to excision. For example, Triphala is an Ayurvedic herbal remedy that has been shown to have fat-reducing properties that may help prevent the overgrowth of fat cells in lipomas.

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Summary

Lipomas are benign growths of fatty tissue that can form anywhere on the body. These common growths are soft and usually do not cause any pain. 

Since they are associated with metabolic imbalances, like issues with lipids, blood sugar, and insulin function, a functional medicine approach can help bring the body back into balance using diet, supplements, and integrative therapies. This can help you maintain a balanced weight, regulate blood sugar and fat metabolism, and prevent lipoma formation and growth.