@leahhopehealth: It all started with a comment. And then another. And another. Soon there were at least a dozen: “It looks like you have lipedema.” “Have you heard of lipedema?” “You have lipedema.” The comments came during the first few months of me sharing my weight loss journey online. I had never heard of it. I looked it up and didn’t think it applied to me. I replied, “I just have big hips because I’m Italian.” 😂 I really believed that. I kept getting comments and got more curious. I eventually noticed the hard nodules under the skin on my thighs. It feels like pebbles right under the surface. I hadn’t noticed before and didn’t realize that wasn’t normal. I even started asking friends if I could feel their thighs to compare 😂 and realized no one else’s felt like mine. I went to see Dr. Karen Herbst to find out if I had lipedema. She diagnosed me with Stage 3, possibly Stage 4, but it was hard to tell with my loose skin. She found lipedema fat in my arms, stomach, and legs. Lipedema is a hormonal condition that causes fat to grow disproportionately, especially in the extremities. It’s a connective tissue disorder, and the fat is usually fibrotic, which makes it resistant to diet and exercise. Mine is most noticeable in my thighs and calves, my lower half has always been the biggest part of me. The main reason I didn’t think I had lipedema is because most people with it experience daily pain. Thankfully, I don’t. And I don’t want it to progress to the point where I do, which is why I decided to treat it surgically! @drariamd will be performing surgery on my calves and ankles to treat the lipedema there. He’ll use power-assisted liposuction with tumescent anesthesia to break apart the fibrosis and remove the lipedema fat. Dr. Aria is a Harvard-trained dermatologic surgeon who treats lipedema with both medical expertise and a thoughtful approach. He treats patients through the @Advanced Lipedema Treatment program at @The Roxbury Institute and he’s known for incredible results and is passionate about spreading awareness, which is so important! I’m really looking forward to my first lipedema-specific procedure with this incredible team! #DrAriaMD #ALTProgram #Partner #lipedema

Leah Hope

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Region: US

Wednesday 11 June 2025 12:38:54 GMT