A lipoma is a benign tumor composed of adipose tissue (body fat). It is the most common benign form of soft tissue tumor. They are caused due to focal increase in the number and size of fat cells in the skin and the tendency to get them is often inherited.

Lipomas are soft to the touch, usually movable, and are generally painless. Many lipomas are small (under one centimeter diameter) but can enlarge to sizes greater than six centimeters. Lipomas are commonly found in adults from 40 to 60 years of age, but can also be found in younger adults and children.

Since Lipomas are harmless then are usually only removed if they are in a cosmetically sensitive area or if they become painful or rapidly bigger in size.

Dr Nair likes to use a technique called NHE – Narrow Hole Extrusion – wherein even large lipomas can be removed through a very small skin incision. This results in excellent cosmesis as compared to earlier techniques which utilized large incisions and resulted in large unsightly scars.