Lipedema consultation and treatment in Zurich

Lipedema is a chronic disease that mainly affects women and is characterized by an abnormal increase in fatty tissue. The condition often occurs on the legs and arms and typically manifests itself during puberty, after pregnancy or during the menopause.

As the disease progresses, various symptoms can occur that severely impair daily life. These include pain, a feeling of pressure and restricted movement. Although a cure is currently not possible, conservative treatments such as compression garments or lymphatic drainage can alleviate the symptoms. However, liposuction remains the only method to permanently remove the abnormal fat cells and thus achieve long-term improvement or even freedom from symptoms.

Lipedema is an unusual, often symmetrical accumulation of subcutaneous fatty tissue that usually begins on the legs. The affected areas are often sensitive to pressure, painful and prone to bruising. As a result, many sufferers do not remember having bumped themselves and yet discover bruises. Even everyday situations such as children sitting on your lap or a cat lying on your legs can cause severe pain due to the sensitivity to pressure. At the end of the day, you often feel as if you have run a marathon, such is the feeling of tension and heaviness in your legs.

To find out whether you might have lipedema, we offer you a self-test that gives you an initial assessment and can be used as the basis for a consultation with us.

The exact causes of lipoedema have not yet been fully researched, but a genetic predisposition is suspected as the condition runs in families. Hormonal changes play an important role, particularly those caused by the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones influence the distribution of fat in the body and can promote the development or worsening of lipoedema during puberty, pregnancy or the menopause. A possible malfunction of the lymph vessels, which leads to increased fluid retention in the fatty tissue, is also being discussed. It is important to emphasize that lipedema should not be equated with being overweight (obesity). The condition is not caused by poor diet or lack of exercise and cannot be treated by diet or exercise alone.

Lipedema is diagnosed in our consultation in Zurich, where we advise and treat lipedema patients with many years of experience. Our in-depth experience and extensive specialist knowledge, e.g. how to work out joints in an aesthetically pleasing way without “over-sucking” the tissue while at the same time performing thorough liposuction, enable us to make an accurate diagnosis. After taking a detailed medical history, we carry out a thorough physical examination in which we look at the typical fat distribution and the nature of the fatty tissue. Among other things, we use the pinch test to test the sensitivity to pain and pressure of the affected areas. We also use imaging techniques such as ultrasound to support the diagnosis and rule out other diseases.

Our primary treatment goal at LIPOCURA® is to alleviate the symptoms and improve the quality of life of our Swiss patients. Our holistic care includes a comprehensive consultation and lipedema treatment, individual care packages and post-operative sports videos. In addition, we are happy to give you recommendations on conservative methods that have already shown good results for many of our patients. These include manual lymphatic drainage, compression garments, special diet plans (including a ketogenic diet) and exercise therapy. We will follow you closely until you are as symptom-free as possible to ensure that you feel well supported at all times.

In advanced stages, when conservative treatment options are limited, liposuction is the only effective way to alleviate symptoms and improve body contour. At our Swiss specialist center, we use the modern PAL method (Power-Assisted Liposuction), which is particularly gentle on the tissue and thoroughly removes the fat cells. Our operations are performed under general anesthesia so that we can remove significantly more diseased fat than under local anesthesia or twilight sleep and can operate on you in a safe and controlled manner.

If there is significant excess skin, we also offer scarless skin tightening to perfect the overall result. In severe cases, surgical tightening is also possible. Our holistic approach ensures that both the health and aesthetic needs of our patients are taken into account and customized.

We look forward to giving you a comprehensive overview of the holistic treatment approach to lipedema so that you can start a carefree life.