Lipoma is a benign fatty tumor that is typically not medically dangerous, but it could be quite painful and in most cases unsightly. There’s a very small chance that a lump resembling a lipoma may actually be a form of cancer called liposarcoma. Liposarcomas grow rapidly, and are usually painful.
While all lipomas are made up of fat, there are sub-types in the pathological perspective. Some varieties include:
Special Types of Lipomas
• Lipomatosis is a hereditary condition in which multiple lipomas are present on the body.
• Adiposis dolorosa (Dercum disease) is a rare medical condition involving multiple painful lipomas, swelling, and fatigue.
• Benign symmetric lipomatosis (Madelung disease) is another condition involving lipomatosis. It nearly always appears in middle-aged males after many years of alcoholism. But, non-alcoholics and females can also be affected.