Services  –  Lipoedema Management

Do you often question that although diligent with dieting and exercise, your legs are still heavy and you have failed to reduce your weight. You may in fact be suffering from a chronic disease called Lipoedema.  On reflection, other women in your family have a similar shape and you start to see a pattern. There is no known cause for Lipoedema and quite often the symptoms are misdiagnosed. Those suffering with lipoedema generally have a reduced quality of life both emotionally and physically because the disease is often dismissed as obesity. Until now, you may never have heard of such a condition.

Lipoedema occurs almost exclusively in women, is usually triggered at puberty but can onset during pregnancy, at menopause and after gynaecological surgery.

What are your treatment options?

Treatment can vary but may include a course of manual lymphatic drainage and bandaging by a lymphoedema therapist, followed by the wearing of custom-fitted compression garments. Compression prevents recurrence of lymphoedema, and in some lipoedema patients can reduce the pain of lipoedemic fat. Sequential intermittent compression can also offer some relief.

Things to remember….for comparison (to lymphoedema)

• Pooling of fat
• Mostly women
• Does not affect feet
• Spongy feel to tissue
• Oedema increases thru day
• Onset at puberty
• Symmetrical – ie both legs look the same
• Legs and upper arms
• Genetic component
• Hormonal disorder