Testimonial

6 Minutes

Back to life – Anna

DIAGNOSIS SINCE:

2012

AREAS:

Legs, bottom, back, tummy, arms, shoulders and décolleté

STAGE / TYPE:

Stage 2/Type 4

TYPE OF TREATMENT:

Liposuction

NUMBER OF PROCEDURES:

VOLUME REMOVED:

Approx. 29 litres

ADDITIONAL MEASURES:

Plasma skin tightening and surgical skin tightening

TODAY'S ACTIVITY:

Cycling, swimming, going for walks, playing with my granddaughter

My name is Anna, I’m 60 years old and I’m from Fürstenfeldbruck.

Looking back now, lipedema has actually been with me for a large part of my life. As a young woman, I was slim. At 18, I was a size 36 and had an hourglass figure like Liz Taylor. After my pregnancies, my body began to change. Back then, for example, I noticed that I was already getting bruises on my thighs just from my baby’s tiny feet. Over the years, I kept putting on weight, especially on my hips and legs.

I really did try a lot of things. Weight Watchers, a sugar-free diet, whole grains, home-cooked meals and plenty of exercise. I swam, did spinning and cycled a lot. At times I lost 15 kilos, but mainly from my upper body. My hips remained wide. Eventually, I developed swollen feet, water retention and knee problems. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I wore a size 56 at the hips but a size 44 on my upper body.

What was particularly difficult for me was that, for a long time, I thought it was my own fault. Time and again, people told me I simply had to eat less and exercise more. Even doctors often reduced me to just my weight. Yet nobody knew everything I’d already tried.

In 2012, I was finally diagnosed with lipedema. On the one hand, I was relieved to finally know what was going on with my body. Nevertheless, there were still moments when I thought: Why me? Why is it getting worse and worse? Why are my knees giving way?

I also wore compression garments and had lymphatic drainage. At a certain point, though, the compression just ended up constricting me in my sedentary job.

The decision to have liposuction

In 2020, I took another course organised by my health insurance provider and tried once again to lose weight. A doctor eventually recommended LIPOCURA® to me. On 26 January 2022, I had my first appointment there with Dr Leuthner.

I remember exactly how I felt after that consultation. At last, there was a doctor who listened to me and showed empathy. It wasn’t just about what I’d done wrong again. It was explained to me that I had a medical condition and what options were available to treat it. That did me a world of good.

I also came across Silke and her posts on social media. She explained so many things so clearly that it really helped me with my decision. I don’t know if I would actually have gone ahead with the operation without her posts.

It was also important to me that my husband felt comfortable with the whole thing. That’s why we went together for another consultation with Dr Leuthner. Afterwards, he said to me: “He’s a brilliant doctor. You’re going ahead with it now.”

What has changed for me

In total, I had three operations, during which around 29 litres of pathological fat were removed. The first operation, in 2022, involved treatment of my legs, bottom and back. The second operation, in 2023, involved liposuction and a surgical skin tightening procedure on my abdomen. Then, in the summer of 2026, my arms, shoulders and décolleté were treated. The liposuction on my legs and arms was combined with plasma skin tightening.

I still remember the moment after my first liposuction to this day. When I woke up from the anaesthetic, I kept running my hands over my thighs. That nagging pain, which I hadn’t really even noticed anymore, was simply gone.

My granddaughter was five years old after my first liposuction. Before that, I could do jigsaw puzzles with her, but I couldn’t play with her on the floor. I hadn’t really been able to get down on the floor properly for more than 15 years. And when I did, I hardly knew how to get back up again.

Some time after the operation, I got down on my knees and suddenly realised: I can do this again. I could play on the floor with my granddaughter. I could sit down on a normal chair again without first having to think about whether I’d fit in it and how I’d get up again afterwards. That was an incredibly wonderful feeling for me.

Of course, my feet and knees aren’t suddenly healthy. But I can move around much better again. There were times when I felt like a 90-year-old. When I realise today what’s possible again, it’s just incredible to me.

“Deep down, I was still the woman I used to be”

In the summer of 2026, I had surgery to tighten my arms. The lipedema had developed significantly there over the past few years. I hadn’t really realised this myself for a long time, because I was always so fixated on my lower body.

Shortly before the operation, I put on a T-shirt that I’d only bought that spring, and suddenly I could barely get it on. I stood there and cried. My husband simply took me in his arms.

Before the operation, I had hardly any strength left in my arms. It felt as though I were constantly carrying a yoke on my shoulders. Now I can already feel a marked difference. I’m sleeping better at night again, and my husband says I sleep much more peacefully too.

Before my arm operation and two weeks after my arm operation

Of course, everything isn’t suddenly perfect now. My body has been through a lot, and after an operation it takes time for everything to heal. There are still days when I’m unhappy with my figure.

But deep down, I’ve always remained the woman I was in my mid-20s. That’s the image I had of myself. And then I walked past a mirror and saw someone in whom I barely recognised myself. I think I’m slowly starting to come to terms with my figure again.

“We’ve been through thin, fat and back to thin again”

My husband has been a huge support to me throughout this whole journey. We’ve been married for 40 years and, as I always say, ‘we’ve been through thin, thick and thin again’.

But I don’t want to sugar-coat things either. Liposuction is a major operation. Especially after the skin-tightening procedures, I needed help for the first few days – for example, with showering, going to the toilet or just doing everyday things. In my case, the whole family pitched in.

You really should plan for that in advance. If you live on your own, I’d try to arrange for someone to be there for the initial period, or perhaps stay with family or friends for a few days.

It was also important to me that I felt well looked after at the clinic. Whenever I was anxious or had questions, someone was there. And even after the operation, it helps me to know that I can ring if I have any problems or uncertainties.

What I’d like to share with other women who have lipedema

I’m very open about my own story these days. If I notice something about a woman that reminds me of myself, I don’t say, ‘You have lipedema.’ I say, ‘It could be. Get it checked out.’

And that’s exactly what I’d like to pass on to other women. Find out more, and if you’re unsure, get a second opinion. Before a consultation, write down all the questions that are going through your mind. No question is too trivial or too silly.

Above all, I’d like to tell other women: don’t blame yourselves.

For so many years, I’ve seen how quickly you’re labelled as ‘fat’. People tell you that you need to eat less or exercise more. And at some point, you start to believe yourself that you simply don’t have enough discipline.

Of course, having liposuction doesn’t mean that everything will be perfect forever afterwards. My journey hasn’t always been easy either. But I would choose to have the operations again.

In the past, when we went on outings, I would sometimes just stay behind in the restaurant because I couldn’t keep up on a walk. We stopped going dancing, cycling became difficult and, at some point, I couldn’t even swim properly anymore. You miss out on so many things because of it. Often it’s not the big things at all, but the perfectly normal everyday activities.

Today, I’d even feel confident enough to go on a cycle ride again.

“The quality of life I’ve gained is priceless.”

If you feel that something isn’t quite right with your body, then get it checked out. The sooner you know what’s going on, the sooner you can work out for yourself what helps you and which path you want to take.

For far too long, I believed it was my own fault. Now I know: it’s worth taking a closer look and seeking help.

Anna

Please note: It is important to point out that our patients’ testimonials do not describe cosmetic surgery, but refer to medically necessary procedures for the treatment of lipedema at various stages.