Should Teens Get Lipedema Surgery? Let The Debate Begin!

How young is too young for plastic surgery? Should teenagers with lipedema be able to have liposuction surgery?

Plastic surgeons will perform breast reductions and rhinoplasty surgery for patients in their teen years and I think it's time to start the discussion about when is the earliest age to consider liposuction for lipedema. Many patients notice their swollen legs look different in their teens and have slowly progressed over time. I also hear from these same patients they wish they could've had lipedema reduction surgery years ago.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:39 - When Does Lipedema Start?
1:19 - Is It Better To Get Lipedema Surgery Younger?
2:18 - Can Teenagers Get Plastic Surgery?
3:42 - Preventative Lipedema Surgery
4:39 - Am I Too Old For Lipedema Surgery?
6:37 - Final Thoughts

As with any plastic surgery procedure, it's important the risks and benefits are clear to the patient and if they're a minor, their parents.

On the other side of that coin, at some point lipedema reduction surgery may not provide the same benefits to an elderly patient. We could all probably agree that a 95 year old might be too high risk for surgery...but what about at 80?...or 75?

Lipedema affects women of a wide age range and I think this is a debate that we should start talking about.

I ultimately believe lipedema reduction surgery will be performed preventatively similar to some patients who have increased risk to develop breast cancer and they undergo mastectomies before the cancer ever develops. In this same mindset, maybe one day we'll begin treating lipedema before it destroys someone's mobility.

[the_elston_clinic]

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[wx_kris]

Thank you for talking about this! Like the previous commenter, I was very petite in high school at 110 lbs and very active. Despite this, I hated my full ankles and lack of definition in my calves. I was always incredibly jealous of my friends with definition in their heels and achilles and I just couldn't ever understand why my ankles couldn't look like this. It led to obsessive dieting with no success in reducing the size of my calves and ankles. Once I moved on to my college years, that's when I started to struggle with pain and swelling, which led to even greater body dysmorphia. I am now scheduled for my first surgery in 3 weeks here on the east coast and beyond excited to be rid of the pain and swelling...and to be able to see my ankles and calves for the first time ever at age 51! Had I had this opportunity in my early 20s I 100% would have done it. It would have prevented so much mental and physical anguish.

[theoriginalhippychic]

I knew something was different when I was in high school. I weighed about 115 to 120. I was super athletic and worked out for hours a day. I'd do aerobics, weight training, and run track and play soccer. All of that and I couldn't see definition in my calves. Couldn't see my calves and my thighs looked like what I thought was cellulite and I couldnt understand why because I was skinny and muscular. Even now, i have the huge thighs, big knees and I'm about stage 2 or 3. I've lost almost 100 pounds and NONE of it is coming off my legs and thighs. I have it on my arms and stomach now too. I'm 50 and have had 2 babies. I wish I would've known about this when I was younger to prevent as much as I could.

[katella]

I am 71 since puberty I've had lipedema. I've kept strict diet and exercise all my life. Slim upper body and increasingly huge thighs and bottom. Through the years it spread downward and resulted in horribly painful, swollen legs, knees and thighs. I have varicose vein surgery twice but it did nothing to alter the pain and swelling ( of course!) Now it has spread to my arms all the way down to my wrists. All my life I have tried to hide my body. I have never worn shorts since childhood, never had a beautiful, floaty dress or gone swimming without terrible shame. Both men and other women have said mean, insulting things if they happened to see. It has greatly affected my life and self esteem. How different my life would have been if I could have had surgery when I was young. I'd say 18 years would be a good time to do this.

[theoriginalhippychic]

I think I would've loved to have surgery in my 20s. Early 20s.