June is Lipedema Awareness Month

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June is Lipedema Awareness Month – thirty consecutive days dedicated to a cause we can all get behind.

June 1st marks the first day of the month long Lipedema Awareness movement – an entire 30 days dedicated to raising awareness, providing resources, and advocating for equitable healthcare for patients living with the complicated, misunderstood, and often misdiagnosed disease that plagues roughly 11% of women and 1% of men.

First named as a disorder/disease at the Mayo Clinic by Dr. Edgar Hines and Dr. Edgar Allen in 1940, lipedema, which literally means “fluid in the fat,” is a debilitating dysfunction of fat deposition.  Lipedema generally affects the lower body, specifically the buttocks and legs, oddly sparing the feet.  Only in the last few years has the perplexing disorder garnered attention, bringing hope, help, and health to those disproportionately affected by its life-altering effects.  The disease is believed to be genetic and triggered by hormonal fluctuations and milestones of a woman’s life, such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, while progressing in stages that result in acute, painful, lumpy fat, limited mobility, and weakened quality of life.  Unfortunately, even to this day, many women are still being misdiagnosed and maligned as being obese and excessive exercising and extreme dieting doesn’t move the needle to reverse/improve their condition.  Though there is still no definitive cure, the only viable, long-term treatment option is surgical intervention, specifically liposuction.

How We Can All Help

While many patients are erroneously diagnosed/treated, and lifestyle modifications can leave patients feeling hopeless, there is help.  It’s been 80 years since lipedema has been formally identified, but the fight against painful, frustrating fat is far from over.

As part of the lipedema community, we offer a multitude of resources on our website as well as our social media channels. To educate yourself on this seemingly nebulous topic, visit us at:

Website: https://rsi848w1.wpengine.com/

Research: https://factresearch.org/

Standard of Care: https://rsi848w1.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/standard-of-care-for-lipedema-united-states.pdf

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/totallipedemacare/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/totallipedemacare/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Kgfdp4_WFTILpUhvyz8sw

As strides in diminishing social stigma related to lipedema are continually reached, more and more patients are learning that their fat is not their fault and they are never alone.  There is a way we can all help.

To learn more, please contact our Beverly Hills, California office to schedule a consultation with any of our highly trained specialists.