Lipedema Treatment in Gaithersburg

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Dr. Sergey Voskin and Dr. George Iskander operate at our Gaithersburg clinic at 438 N Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Our gallery holds 1 lipedema treatment results by Dr. Sergey Voskin.

It is a disease of the fat tissue itself, not a consequence of eating. It is almost exclusively female, it usually starts at puberty, pregnancy or menopause, it is symmetrical, it spares the hands and feet so the fat stops abruptly at the wrist or ankle, and it hurts — pressure that would not bother anyone else is painful. Weight loss slims the parts that are not affected and leaves the affected parts much as they were, which is the single most reliable sign.

Lipedemic fat that is removed does not return in that area. Lipedema is progressive though, and untreated areas can still advance, so this is treatment rather than cure, and staging matters.

Because it can help lower some of the risks that come with general anesthesia, and because being awake lets you shift position so the surgeon can assess the contour standing rather than only lying down. It also makes staged sessions far easier to tolerate.

It depends on the stage and how many areas are involved. Early-stage thighs may be one session; advanced disease across thighs, calves and arms is commonly three or more, spaced to let each area settle. You are given the number at consultation, not discovered along the way.

Sometimes, and inconsistently. Some U.S. insurers cover liposuction for lipedema when conservative treatment has been documented and failed; many still class it as cosmetic. We can tell you what your policy is likely to say and what documentation helps, but we cannot promise an outcome we do not control.

No, and anyone who says otherwise is selling something. Compression, lymphatic drainage and a good diet slow progression and manage symptoms, and they matter before and after surgery. They do not remove fat that is already there.

Yes. Lipedema is a clinical diagnosis made on examination and history — there is no blood test and no scan that confirms it. Bring what you know about your family, and about what happened to your shape at puberty, pregnancy or menopause.

Getting to a weight you can hold usually helps, because it removes the ordinary fat and leaves the lipedemic fat clearly visible to work on. But you are not expected to reach a goal weight you have never been able to reach — that expectation is precisely what has failed lipedema patients for decades.

The instrument is related; the intent is not. Body contouring removes fat to change a silhouette. Lipedema surgery removes diseased tissue to reduce pain and restore function, and it is planned around the lymphatics. The consultation is a different conversation.

Lipedema is progressive, though the speed varies a great deal. Left alone it tends to advance through its stages, mobility narrows, and in some patients the lymphatic system eventually decompensates. That is a reason to be assessed, not a reason to panic.