Natural Treatments for Lipomas

Lipomas are deposits of fatty tissue that sometimes appear beneath the skin. They’re usually soft and easy to move around with your finger — and they’re entirely harmless, unless they form over an area where they hit nerves, or a spot where the fatty tissue is disfiguring. Your doctor will likely need to do a biopsy to ensure that the bump is just a lipoma and not a more serious tumor. But once it’s clear that it’s simply a fatty deposit underneath the skin, you can decide if and how you want to remove them. If you do want to get rid of your lipomas, there are several medical treatments (and a few at-home ones) you can try to make the fatty deposits disappear. Surgery. The largest lipomas usually require surgery to fully remove the fatty tissue. The surgeries are usually done under local anesthetic, unless the growth is located on a tricky spot, and lipomas rarely come back after they’ve been removed. Steroid injections. A doctor can inject steroids into the lipoma. This will help shrink the bump, but it won’t completely remove the fatty tissue from beneath the skin. Liposuction. This cosmetic surgery staple can be used to extract smaller lipomas, especially ones that are located in spots where surgery may leave a very noticeable scar. The treatment won’t remove the entire lipoma but will help reduce its appearance. Laser treatment. Special lasers can be used to burn away the lipomas without leaving a single scar. Lasers are often recommended for use on smaller lipomas. Castor oil. Some people have reported success after applying castor oil topically to the lipomas several times per day. Better diet. Many people with lipomas report a decline in the size and shape of these deposits of fatty tissue when they eat healthier. Try avoiding fatty foods, including meats and dairy, and load up with raw, fresh fruit and vegetables instead. Most find that avoiding white flour and sugar is also necessary to help keep their lipomas under control. Flax oil. Ingesting flaxseed oil, which is high in omega-3s, may help dissolve lipomas or at least hinder the growth of the fatty tissue. Turmeric. Some herbal experts recommend applying a paste of turmeric and olive oil to the lipomas every day to help soften and reduce them. Lemon juice. The juice of this citrus fruit has been known to help eliminate toxins from the body and stimulate the liver, which may help your body digest fats and reduce the number and size of the fatty deposits beneath your skin.