Lipoma

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A lipoma is a common, benign (non-cancerous) soft, fatty lump under your skin. It can occur anywhere on your body, but common sites are your arms and the back of your neck, trunk and thighs.

You may have a single lump (solitary) or several (multiple). They are harmless.

Health professionals do not know what causes a lipoma but there may be a genetic link as they can run in families. Sometimes an injury such as a knock to your body can cause a lipoma to grow.

Lipomas affect males and females equally. But solitary lipomas are more common in women and multiple lipomas are more common in men. People of any age can get a lipoma, but they are more common in adults.

Symptoms of lipoma

A lipoma is very slow growing and often grows over several years. A lipoma commonly has the following signs:

it is a small, soft lump
it is not usually painful, unless it grows large enough to press on a nerve
when you press it, it feels soft and squishy and moves under your skin.

Diagnosing lipoma

Your general practice team can usually diagnose a lipoma by examining the lump.

Sometimes you may need to have further investigations such as an ultrasound, CT scan, MRI scan or a biopsy.

Treating lipoma

You do not usually need treatment for a lipoma. If it is causing you problems, for example pressing on a nerve or being unsightly, it will be removed. Sometimes, a lipoma needs removing so it can be looked at under a microscope. Removing a lipoma is done through a minor operation or liposuction.

Getting help for lipoma

If you are worried about a lump under your skin, get your general practice team to have a look.

HealthInfo recommends the following pages

DermNet NZ – Lipoma and liposarcoma
This page answers questions like, "What is a lipoma?", "Who gets lipomas?" and "What are the signs and symptoms?" It includes photos of lipomas.

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed February 2025.

Sources

Page reference: 136384

Review key: HILIP-136384