Fat on the leg
When any tumor appears, a person experiences negative emotions: anxiety, symptoms of cancerophobia. Fat that has arisen on any part of the body is a benign formation formed from lipid cells enclosed in a capsule of connective tissue. Fats (lipomas) rarely become the causes of the development of a malignant process, but such a possibility still exists. That is why any atypical skin formation should be immediately shown to a surgeon, dermatologist or a more narrow specialist - a dermato-oncologist.
The danger of a wen on the leg is that it is often subject to injury, compression and friction against clothing. As a result, wen on the legs more often than other similar formations are prone to inflammation and are prone to rapid growth, provoked by mechanical damage to the capsule of the fatty tumor.
These formations can be localized on any part of the lower limb:
- On the hip;
- On the toes;
- On the lower leg;
- Under the knees.
As a rule, wen are diagnosed in a single copy. Less often, several of them appear at once, then the patient is diagnosed with multiple lipomatosis.
Content:
- Wen classification
- Symptoms of a wen on the legs
- Causes of the appearance of wen on the legs
- Treatment of a wen on the leg
Wen classification
The fat on the leg, as well as on any other part of the body, tends to grow gradually. This property of a fatty tumor disrupts the functioning of the limb, restricts freedom of movement.
Types of wen, depending on the composition:
- Lipoma - has a soft consistency, there is fat inside;
- Fibrolipoma - the structure is denser, the tumor consists of adipose and connective tissue;
- Myolipoma - located deep, can grow to the periosteum, consists of adipose and muscle tissue;
- Angiolipoma is a very painful tumor, difficult to remove, consists of adipose tissue and blood vessels.
Types of wen, depending on their location:
- Subcutaneous - located under the epidermis;
- Perineural - affect nerve fibers;
- Tendon - formed inside the joint, affecting the tendons of the legs;
- Intermuscular - develop deep in muscle tissue;
- Spilled - deprived of capsules, do not have clear boundaries, represent cluster-like accumulations of fat cells.
Most of the wen of the lower extremities is formed on the thighs and buttocks, which is accompanied by the mechanical effect of clothing on them. A fatty tumor of such localization interferes with free movement, the patient cannot sit. If untreated, the wen grows deep into the muscle tissue.
If such a formation has formed on the ankle or foot, it is a constant source of infection, as it is injured by shoes. With the formation and rapid growth of a fatty tumor in the knee joint, tendon rupture can occur.
Symptoms of a wen on the legs
When a fatty tumor appears on the leg, it is important to differentiate the formation from inflamed lymph nodes and other similar pathologies:
Wen symptoms:
- The lump is usually located under the upper layer of the epidermis, has a rounded shape and a soft consistency;
- When pressed from above, pain is not felt;
- When pressed sideways, the fatty tumor shifts and returns to its previous position, it is not adhered to the skin;
- Itching, burning and flushing of the skin are not detected, body temperature and swelling are normal;
- The skin above the surface of the wen can be folded.
Since the skin of the lower extremities is quite dense, the contents of the wen do not peep through it, the tumor has the color of the surrounding tissues, and the hair above it remains.
Causes of the appearance of wen on the legs
Despite numerous studies of the etiology of wen, the exact cause of their appearance has not yet been identified.
Factors for the development of fatty tumors on the legs:
- Familial predisposition, inheritance of a deficiency in the gene responsible for the breakdown of fat;
- The use of a large number of foods with preservatives, synthetic ingredients;
- Bad habits - smoking, alcoholism, leading to poisoning of the body with toxins;
- Constant squeezing of tissues, excessive stress on the legs;
- Work in conditions of hazardous production, destruction of the body by chemical agents, the effect of radiation;
- Overweight, predominance of fats and carbohydrates in the menu;
- A sedentary lifestyle that disrupts metabolism;
- Endocrine system diseases.
Most of the provoking factors can be corrected, therefore, following the rules of a healthy lifestyle is an effective prevention of the appearance of wen on the legs. Already formed fatty tumors should be removed; large formations cannot be cured with conservative methods.
Treatment of a wen on the leg
Small fatty tumors do not have to be removed if they are not subjected to regular mechanical stress. Nevertheless, if the tumor delivers negative emotions due to its unaesthetic appearance, there are no obstacles to removing the tumor at the request of the patient.
The main methods for removing a fatty tumor:
- Injections of drugs that absorb fat - are used when a small wen is localized far from vital organs. A drug is injected into the tumor with a syringe several times, the active substances of which destroy lipids. After 1.5-2 months, the size of the formation decreases significantly, it can disappear completely;
- External use of drugs - to break down fat and reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process, ointments and balms are used (Vishnevsky ointment, Vitaon balm, Videstim and Gistan ointments);
- Surgical removal of the wen - the operation is performed in a hospital under local anesthesia. In this case, the capsule of the formation is removed through an incision made in the skin above the wen. The removed tissues are sent for histological examination;
- Cryodestruction and electrocoagulation - in the case of wen on the legs, methods of moxibustion with liquid nitrogen or electric current are rarely used, since they are designed to remove small wen;
- Laser and radio wave removal are fast, bloodless methods without the risk of recurrence. There are no traces left after the operation, the recovery period is minimal. After local anesthesia, the skin over the wen is dissected, it is fixed with a clamp and exfoliated with a laser or radio knife. The instrument simultaneously coagulates blood vessels and performs antiseptic treatment of the wound, so bleeding and inflammation do not occur after such removal.
Contraindications to the removal of a wen on the leg may be arterial hypertension, ARVI, exacerbation of somatic diseases and herpes.
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.
