Laser Lipoma Removal - What And How It Goes, Indications And Contraindications

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Laser lipoma removal

Laser removal of a lipoma is a surgical treatment of a neoplasm, one of the most effective and safe ways to remove a tumor. During the operation, pathological cells are excised together with the capsule. Healthy body tissues remain intact. Laser lipoma removal is a gentle method of treatment and guarantees no relapse of the disease.

Content:

• Who is laser removal of lipoma indicated for?
• Preparing for surgery
• How is lipoma laser removed?
• Rehabilitation after lipoma removal
• Contraindications
• Pros and cons of laser lipoma removal

Who is laser removal of lipoma indicated for?

Using a laser, the lipoma can be removed completely, along with the membrane. Only in this case the wen will not form again. To begin with, the patient will have to undergo a comprehensive medical examination, after which the doctor will give an opinion on the possibility of the procedure.

Indications for laser lipoma removal:

• The tumor tends to grow rapidly.
• The tumor is large.
• The tumor presses on the surrounding tissues and nerves, causing painful sensations.
• The tumor provokes functional disorders from other organs.
• The tumor is the cause of the cosmetic defect.
• A tumor disrupts a person's quality of life, for example, it often becomes inflamed due to constant rubbing with clothing.

Lipomas are not able to resolve on their own. They are not subject to medical correction, so the only method of getting rid of the neoplasm is surgery. Laser lipoma removal allows the procedure to be carried out quickly and safely for the patient.

Do not delay with treatment. Although lipomas grow very slowly, nevertheless, their increase in volume is inevitable. If you remove a small tumor, then the trace from the incision will be almost invisible. When it reaches a diameter of 5-10 cm or more, the postoperative scar will be much larger.

The need for laser lipoma removal should first of all be considered by people in whom the tumor is located on visible parts of the body, for example, on the face, scalp or on the limbs. Superficial lipomas of the breast, neck, eyelids, and trunk lend themselves well to laser correction.

Preparing for surgery

Before the operation, the patient will need to go through a series of preparatory procedures.

The doctor prescribes the following examinations:

• General and clinical blood tests.
• Delivery of urine for general analysis.
• Cardiological examination.
• Donating blood for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis.

Ultrasound of the tumor, CT or MRI is performed earlier, even at the stage of diagnosis. If the lipoma has many blood vessels, angiography may be done.

In some cases, for example, with a breast lipoma, a biopsy is prescribed to the patient before the operation. During the procedure, a puncture is performed and the contents of the tumor are taken for histological and cytological analysis. This allows you to make sure that the neoplasm is indeed benign. In other cases, a biopsy is obtained already during surgery. According to the results of the study, the question of the need for chemotherapy or radiation therapy is being decided. If the patient had a true lipoma, then further treatment (after removal of the tumor) is not carried out.

In the case when the patient suffers from an acute or chronic infection, it is necessary to get rid of the inflammation and only then go to the operation.

If in the patient's history there are allergic reactions to medications, then tests are performed for the injected anesthetic.

When the lipoma is located on the scalp, the surgical site must be shaved. At least 3-4 hours before the forthcoming intervention, the patient should refuse to eat.

Doctors strongly recommend not smoking before surgery. The presence of nicotine in the blood increases the risk of complications. Avoid drinking alcohol a few days before surgery.

How is lipoma laser removed?

If the lipoma is small, then it can be removed in an outpatient clinic. The operation is performed under local anesthesia. The most common anesthetic is lidocaine. The doctor injects the base of the tumor, and then dissects the skin over the lipoma. This is done with a laser knife. At the time when the beam touches the tissues, instantaneous coagulation of the blood vessels occurs. This avoids blood loss.

The dissected tissue is spread apart. With the help of a special clamp, the tumor is grasped together with the capsule and lifted. The surgeon uses a laser to remove the lipoma from the surrounding tissues. The beam allows not only to separate the lipoma, but also to destroy its residual elements. If a small tumor has been removed during the operation, no sutures are applied. The wound is simply sealed with an adhesive plaster, having previously covered it with a sterile bandage. When the tumor is large, a suture is applied to the dissected tissue. Removal of large neoplasms requires hospitalization of the patient.

Laser lipoma removal does not take long. Depending on the volume of the operation, its duration can be 15-40 minutes. The rehabilitation period does not require the patient to be in the hospital.

The lipoma itself, after its removal from the human body, is sent for histological examination. This allows you to exclude a malignant process.

Rehabilitation after lipoma removal

If the operation was small, then the patient is sent home after 2-3 hours. When a large tumor has been removed, hospitalization for 1-2 days is possible. The patient should visit the doctor until there is no need to perform dressings. Most often, it takes about 10 days for the full healing of the wound surface. In some cases, this process is faster.

Until the wound has tightened, the patient should refrain from physical exertion so as not to provoke the divergence of the sutures. Superficial tissue fusion will be fully completed after 2 weeks. The wound will tighten inside in 2-3 months, more specific terms depend on the depth of the incision.

After laser removal, a small pit may form in the place where it used to be. Over time, it completely levels out.

Scars after laser lipoma removal are subtle. To make the skin look even more aesthetic, you can apply special gels or ointments that promote collagen production by smoothing the scar.

Contraindications

Removal of a lipoma with a laser is impossible in the presence of the following contraindications:

• Herpetic eruptions or other inflammatory processes in the area of the operating field.
• Carrying a baby, breastfeeding.
• Menstrual bleeding.
• Diabetes.
• Immune system disorders.
• The doctor has doubts that the tumor is benign.
• HIV infection.
• The location of the lipoma in the immediate vicinity of the vital vessels.
• Acute infectious diseases. To begin with, you will need to get rid of the disease.
• Hypertensive crisis.
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system associated with impaired cardiac activity.

Pros and cons of laser lipoma removal

Laser lipoma removal, like all other operations, has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages of this method include:

• High accuracy of execution. Using a laser beam as a tool, the doctor has the ability to control the depth of the incision. This will allow not to affect healthy tissue more than the procedure requires.
• The carbon dioxide laser allows not only to remove the lipoma, but also to prevent bleeding, because the vessels instantly coagulate during the procedure. This eliminates many complications and speeds up recovery.
• The operation is short in time. When removing small wen lying on the surface, local anesthesia will be sufficient.
• The method is non-contact, which minimizes infection of the wound surface.
• No scars remain after the operation. The seam is smooth and unobtrusive.
• During the procedure, the tumor is removed in its entirety, which makes it possible to send it for histological examination.
• Laser lipoma removal minimizes the risk of tumor recurrence, because it is removed along with the capsule.
• Laser tumor resection prevents the formation of edema and suppuration of the operating field.
• A short period of rehabilitation allows a person to return to everyday life after a few days.

Cons of laser lipoma removal:

• If the tumor is very large and lies in the deep layers of tissues, then it will be impossible to remove it with a laser.
• The likelihood of a relapse of the disease increases in the case when the surgeon did not have sufficient knowledge or experience.
• Laser tumor removal is most often carried out on a paid basis, so not everyone can afford this procedure.

The author of the article: Volkov Dmitry Sergeevich | c. m. n. surgeon, phlebologist

Education: Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (1996). In 2003 he received a diploma from the Educational and Scientific Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.