About Lipoedema
What is lipoedema?
Lipoedema is a condition of the fat and connective tissue. It mainly affects women, and often starts to develop around late childhood, puberty or times of hormonal change. Most people first notice changes in the shape of their legs and ankles.
Some possible signs of lipoedema:
- Fat tissue changes affecting the legs, buttocks, hip, tummy (abdomen) and/or upper arms
- Fat ‘bulges’ developing around the knees or at the hips for example
- Changes are usually equal on both side of the body
- Body may look out of proportion; the upper body is smaller than the lower body
- Waistline may be narrow in comparison to hips
- Feet and hands may not be affected
- The area may bruise easily, with broken blood vessels, and/or varicose veins.
Lipoedema in Scotland Report
Talk Lipoedema recently completed a project looking at lipoedema in Scotland, supported by the Scottish Government. If you would like to read more about our findings, you can download our Scoping Report.
Find out more about Lipoedema
Living well with Lipoedema
Learning that you have a condition called lipoedema can bring mixed feelings. It can be a relief to have an explanation for your symptoms, but you might also experience different emotions when adjusting to your diagnosis.
Pain in Lipoedema
Pain seems to affect around 70% of people with lipoedema. Lipoedema pain can range from heavy dull aching legs to extreme pain, even due to the lightest touch. For some people, a slight knock to the legs can feel like being kicked hard.
Emotional Support
There is good evidence from many research studies that lipoedema is linked to various mental health and emotional challenges. These can include anxiety, depression, and feelings of anger.