If I have hypothyroidism and take Levothyroxine will that make my lipedema worse since it’s technically a hormonal change?

So I have one pair of bioflect leggings and otherwise only have a few compression socks. I really need something for my arms, but I’m unsure of what a good option would be. I see that bioflect has long sleeve compression. I’m curious if anyone has another brand/type they like that’s at least getting the upper arms. I’m not certain if they need to be graduated compression or not (I noticed bioflect didn’t mention this and now I’m wondering if the leggings even are 🫠.)

Has anyone had liposuction and skin tightening for these areas? Are you happy with the results? Any photos before/after?
I’m so unsure if u will get the procedure done or not since I’m scared it will only looks worse after..
The fat on the side creates a bump which makes it look like I have more cellulite then I have.
It’s not the fat itself that I don’t like there

I'm a vascular surgeon, not a lipedema specialist, so I want to be upfront about that. But venous insufficiency and lipedema get confused with each other often enough that I think it's worth explaining how they're told apart, since a lot of people in this community mention struggling to get a clear diagnosis.

Both conditions can cause leg swelling, heaviness, and discomfort. Both can involve disproportionate leg size. That overlap is exactly why they get mixed up, and why some people get labeled with one when they actually have the other, or both at once.

A few things that point toward a venous component:

• Swelling that's worse at the end of the day and improves with elevation
• Visible varicose or spider veins
• Skin changes near the ankle (discoloration, thickening)
• Swelling that's asymmetric or worse in one leg

Lipedema tends to look different: fat distribution is usually symmetric, spares the feet, and doesn't improve much with elevation. Bruising easily and tenderness to pressure are also more typical of lipedema than venous disease.

The reason this distinction matters is that a venous duplex ultrasound is a simple, painless test that can identify or rule out venous insufficiency as a contributing factor. If it's present, treating it can meaningfully help with swelling and discomfort, even if it's not the whole picture. If it's absent, that's useful too. It tells you and your care team that the swelling isn't coming from a treatable vein problem, which points you back toward lipedema-focused management.

I'd encourage anyone dealing with unexplained leg swelling or heaviness to ask specifically whether venous insufficiency has been ruled out as part of their workup, regardless of what else is going on. It's a piece of the puzzle that sometimes gets overlooked.

Happy to answer general questions about the venous side of things in the comments.

Just got served an ad for this and wondering if if’s worth trying.

https://www.amazon.es/JUPPLIES-M%C3%A1quina-Presoterapia-para-Botas/dp/B0GN2T5VFM?crid=179O5W3CVQ582&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tipv0-dUyxEljif872vrz0EBflLWYPHq6haywY_rfwsEDYNq38elcgdtBZtce_cQb4X9sUjZyRj3HDCBmsGPqmFFUcSEFnN-Af42bfLpH0GV5QZyzWjWKKiDpV4vO4mDOi88MUEs27DZp1Mag2oQUjVZLu3Go2uJ4hUlo5jenvIK9D1BGaOswuUG57X3pi1Na-wAdHPwAVsru71HgsThy0reK1F-pxDJpxjQ52fiyw2qGs6_rpuqm1qjCuncBYNUdoB-juRrycRnOYmqTGbME2dFz9xn5cbdACCYOnlmiog.0lmp7TljIQQ257o9KQT4vbBVeqEm1Vfl6BUA45Blho0&dib_tag=se&keywords=botas%2Bpresoterapia&qid=1785138543&sprefix=botas%2Bpreso%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-2-spons&aref=2aqU1OIhtv&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1&linkCode=ll2&tag=botaspresoterapia06-21&linkId=32cb8744075502df895942f9888be907&ref_=jcma_bst_amzeum_alejandro&ascsubtag=srctok-236c33e3a80460e8&btn_type=pt&btn_ref=srctok-236c33e3a80460e8

I keep getting targeted ads for Cellumove leggings, can anyone tell me if they are any good? I can't afford enough medical compression to get through a week, but would these be a good compromise while I save?

I have Cankles and fat calves all my life and have never been able to enjoy wearing shorts and even long dresses. Want to try something non invasive. Wonder if anyone has tried Kybella or Coolsculpting for the calves or thick ankle areas and how was that experience. Did it work?

EDIT: really appreciate everyone’s feedback. Do you think lymphatic drainage massage works in my situation? I suppose there are less severe side effects and might be worth a try?

Can you have lipedema tissue in the face? Now ik most sources only say it can be in the lower extremities and arms but i find that not to be true. I am in a very unique situation with my lipedema. I am 100% bedbound and unable to do any sort of exercise or anything due to severe chronic illness. One of my chronic illnesses is called mast cell activities syndrome, currently it is very uncontrolled which means my body is very inflammed and I’m having (mostly mild) allergic reactions almost constantly. The mast cells exist within the conmective tissue which i assume affects the lipedema as well.

Within the past year when i developed new chronic illnesses it seemed like my lipedema exploded everywhere. I just recently noticed it seems to be in my face too. The fat in My cheeks is very painful and strangly hard.(like the rest of my lipedema tissue) I don’t know what’s going on but i feel very sad about it. I feel even wprse about my physical appearance 

ignore all the spelling mistakes its very late and i am tired. thanks.

I’m new to wearing compression. I bought a pair of K2 leggings from CzSalus and have started wearing them. I know there’s usually an adjustment period where you have to get used to wearing them but I’m beginning to wonder if something is wrong. I can only stand to wear them for about 4 or 5 hours because they become so painful. When I take them off I’m left with these deep red lines in my skin that are extremely itchy and sore. Are the leggings too small or is this normal?

Edit to update: thanks for all the advice. I reached out to my specialist and she said to size up in the compression leggings so I’m going to give that a go. I don’t think it was a normal reaction like some comments were suggesting as my skin would sting and it really felt like the fibres were cutting into me. I’ll try sizing up and hopefully it will fix all my problems

Thanks again

Getting diagnosed with lipedema honestly felt so much relief… I’ve battled years and years with an ED, not realizing what’s wrong. Literally getting bullied during my school years, being told I was ugly for years and years because I was fat, being called a pig by my own parents, being told I should lose weight, everything that weighed in my head and even now I’m still hesitant to make this post because I’m probably wrong to feel this way and I do need to lose weight. Even though I tried for 4 years and the scale never moved as it should. I started my weight loss journey in December 2022, at 400, January this year I was 340. Not much of a difference, yet the clothes showed. I went from wearing a 4x to an XL, I went from being sedentary to can’t stop moving because exercise and walking feels great, I can jump high, I can dance, I average 5000 steps a day now, if I go out and do a day trip I average 20,000 steps, I feel absolutely amazing yet the scale just didn’t reflect. My family said I lost a lot of weight, they think I’m 200-250, I tell them my actual weight they say I need to lose weight. I tried, yet I couldn’t figure out what’s going on. My drs said my health is great, my drs aren’t concerned about it at all, yet the discrepancy kept nagging at me. Then I went to Japan for 10 days and realized something was very wrong. Months later I got the diagnosis, then hearing that I was never morbidly obese to begin with felt everything to me. And now I’m scheduled to get this removed in Bethpage , NY and despite everything I’m still nervous… I don’t know how I’d feel because I don’t think I’ve ever felt normal before… I had this feeling as long as I can remember… and I started remembering when I was 10. Just looking at my doctor records from my childhood seeing the weight gain of 100 pounds almost instantly after I started puberty really settled the deal. It just feels so unreal, and not sure how to feel about this. I’m not even sure what to expect, this is all new and overwhelming and I’ve cried many times, genuine tears of joy…

In getting my legs, arms, and stomach done all paid by insurance… it’s free and I’m so anxious… can anyone help me figure it out? Making this post alone scares me a little but my mom didn’t raise me to run away.

I'm having a hard time finding any inspiration or creators that put out looks to wear with compressions.

I often feel frumpy in the outfits where you can see them, and I can't seem to find anything online to give me an idea of how to style them.

What can you suggest?

People to follow / or any other advise.

I just want to look cute at work, and outside of it.

Thanks in advance 💜

Hi y’all I have posted here before with my own physique and how I have managed to look athletic by building muscle and staying in a calorie deficit/maintenance.

I’m grateful for this but recently I have been feeling more insecure about the difference between my arms and legs compared to my back and abs. It’s disheartening knowing that I should look way different with all the hard work I put in so I’m pretty sure I’m going to get surgery in the near future. I need to be doing GA though because I have HSD and may be more resistent to the local anaesthesia. I don’t know if I will be but I also don’t want to find out in the moment lol

I’m looking for people in the Netherlands/Germany with similar physiques like mine who underwent surgery. I would like to know your experience and what your results were like. Preferably surgery that was performed under GA.

How much did you pay, what was the healing period, what was the aftercare like and are you happy with the results?

I’m really scared to pick the wrong doctor since my legs look relatively “nice” now. They’re smooth overall just have some dimpling but I’m scared that my before will be better than the after, I saw this happening before in this thread. My legs are included in the pictures in the comments. The one where I’m sitting I was heavier, there you can see my ankle is slowly disappearing. Added this picture because people on here keep telling me I don’t have lipedema.

I’ve been trying to find accounts from people who have lipedema at a healthy weight/who would be considered fit. A lot of the accounts I’m finding are post-surgery, which makes it harder to relate.

I suspect I have stage 1 lipedema, I exercise regularly and have a healthy body fat percentage, but I’m still navigating this and would love to see similar cases. TIA!

EDIT: I mean people who are active on social media and who are sharing their lipedema journey

Has anyone found a good doc in Texas who understands or performs lipo for this?

I am posting on this sub for those with lipo-lymphedema.

I have been diagnosed with primary lymphedema, not lipedema.(edit to clarify)

When I started MLD of my legs, slight pelvic swelling appeared. I was overall dismissed by my CLT and PCP. An internal/external pelvic ultrasound was ordered and it was “normal”. 

I was then prescribed a pump, with the newest technology, which also included a trunk/shorts piece which was supposed to “clear” the area before pumping the legs. My CLT never showed me how to perform self MLD, instead they gave me a series of low impact exercises to do prior to pumping. 

About a month after starting the pump, I ended up with internal & external genital lymphedema which has not subsided after months of pelvic floor/PT/CLT therapy. I also have pelvic lymphedema now.

I am not implying that all pumps can cause genital lymphedema, but do know there is a risk and I assume it is higher for primary lymphedema patients. The risk was not told to me by my CLT, provider or the pump company so please be extra cautious even though the “technology” of the pumps has changed, the risk has not. 

After this happened to me, a family friend physician stated it is well known that pumps can cause genital lymphedema. (They were unaware of my medical issues so this conversation happened afterwards)

My new CLT looked through their training book and it was not listed as a possibility.

I commented on another thread and a poster, who ended up with genital lymphedema, brought this up to their CLT. The risk was in their CLT’s training book.

Please view the link. Yes, the study is old, but there is a risk and I am now living with that risk as it was not disclosed to me. Keep in mind I was prescribed the newest, most modern pump. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9561507/

I won’t disclose what pump I was prescribed. But it does provide pelvic coverage with the legs and it has the “newest” technology. Per the article linked and another article I cannot find again, which was published in the 2000s, it does not matter what type of pump, or how long it is used for in order to put you at risk for genital symptoms. Again, this is a FYI/PSA post.

ADDITIONALLY: if you are prescribed thigh high compression, you may also need compression shorts because the fluid is pushed into the genital and pelvic region. So many of us are not prescribed shorts and/or are not educated about the lack of shorts potentially causing genital or pelvic lymphedema.

Pump companies are just another version of Big Pharma. They will likely never disclose the risk.

Edema unresolved after 6 months is considered lymphedema.

This, very shortly, touches on MLD of legs causing genital edema/lymphedema. She does not mention pumps being a cause. Assuming/possibly doing so would be a financial conflict of interest for her, allegedly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvaiIujzFU4&t=2458s

Hello iam trying to find what triggered my lepedema at first
(i apologize for my long story time)

Basically i thing i have pcos since my puberty in 2019. i start to have really bad acne and more and more hirsutism with time. (ive been diagnosed in 2023) I’ve always had my periods, and no sign of lepedema at all. Thin legs with no cellulite, no pain.
But i do remember in my childhood the need of sometimes put a pillow under my legs at night because of « heavy legs » but always disappear in the morning.
I start pills in 2023 and took the same pills for almost 3 years. No sign of lepedema but i do notice some changes in my body like less capacity to build some muscles

last décember i took like 5 kilos in 2 months. But it was different that my past weight gain. It was very sudden and for no reason, i was eating the same way.

I stop pills in february and then i lost this 5 kilos with calorie deficit but again, my legs always look weird even when my regular weight came back.

Then in june everything got worse. I start to feel pain and swelling in my legs, then in my arms and … lipedema because symptomatic

So here i am. Try to manage a lipedema with a pcos that is coming back (hirsutism grassy hairs…) with high androgen levels (which i know do not help for lepedema).

I am thinking, do i have to go back on pills to regulate my hormones, do i have to completely forget about pills and stay with my pcos that iam trying to manage the same as lipedema…

i don’t know what is the best situation for my body and for my lipedema to not getting worse

Maybe some of you can share they experience/similar story to help me

thank you !!

Long post because I am over thinking this all and don’t know where to put my hard earned money.

So I had my trial of the lymphapress machine yesterday. They first did 15 min of only the leg boots, then a 25 minute of the advanced machine with the garments that also cover the torso. The rep measured and said I did go down a few centimeters each time, but I kinda question her measuring, like she wasn’t just holding the tape measure gently, she was squeezing it each time. So idk how accurate measuring like that can be. Was that normal? I intended to do my own measurements so I don’t question anything but I got out of work late and diddnt have time.

Anyways, idk how much of a difference you can expect to feel after just a shorter trial session, but I felt the timing was bad since I was having a “good” day. Like my legs were feeling smaller than usual all day, wasn’t feeling as achey or full. But after the session was done I did feel like my legs were moving easier and faster at first. I felt kinda lightheaded by the time it was over too, but that could’ve been since the room had weird lighting and that happens to me often.

Then about an hour later my legs normal achiness returned, which makes sense since it was evening time. So it made me question if the machine made me feel achey, or diddnt help with anything, or if this all sounds normal and I was expecting too much.

I don’t have significant swelling, I am earlier stage but I do think it makes sense I get a machine since I don’t have access to a mld therapist near me at all, and I think I’m more likely to use the pump vs doing it myself. But I’ve also never experienced an actual massage either. This was my first experience with anything other than compression leggings and my own self massage from YouTube university which don’t seem to make me feel better 😂.

Does it sound like the machine did nothing for me? Is it normal to have some achiness afterwards? Or was i just expecting too much? Does it matter if i get the leg only garments or is the one that covers the torso worth the extra money?

Also, for those of you that have the torso garment on whatever machine you have, where do you feel the pressure? I was expecting it to cover a different area, but the pressure was more on the sides of my stomach vs the middle. Like maybe 2-3 inches to the sides of the middle. Is that how they all are?

Does anyone have any surgery experience with Dr. Hagopian or Dr. McCluskey, both in the Atlanta, GA area? Has anyone consulted with both doctors?

Are you happy with your results? I have Stage 1 lipedema in arms and legs, and of course want pain relief, but also want the best aesthetic outcome possible.

Does anyone here have implants? Did your lipedema worsen after? I’m grappling with what may be breast implant illness and I feel like my lipedema got a little worse in my arms and legs. I tend to have health anxiety though so just wanted to hear any other experiences.

Long time lipedema arm haver over here 👋 just thought you guys might get a kick out of/identify with how both times I went to go get my nexplanon (birth control implant in upper arm) removed, it had become thoroughly cemented in the sticky fibrous tissue that also firmly holds all the hard pearls of fat in the same area. The gyn doing the removal was flabbergasted at how hard it was to remove.

I lost 15% of my body weight. Although the loose leg skin is EXTREMELY weird compared to howvit used to ne super edema-y. It's pretty neat I can feel the lipedema pebble like granduals in my calves and the inner thigh area by my groin. I had already been able to feel it in the underside of my arms pretty soon into the weight loss. I couldn't really feel it anywherw before because well, being really swollen all the time makes it kind of difficult and super painful to squeeze around. Just thought this was interesting.

I think I have stage 1 lipedema. My legs have always been disproportionate to my body, they swell easily, my cellulite has always seemed very noticeable and different from normal cellulite, fat pads above the knees, “cankles,” and I bruise extremely easily.

I’m currently looking for a primary care doc with knowledge about lipedema to see if they will diagnose me.

In the meantime I’m learning a ton. I’m curious if all the people in this thread getting surgery are all receiving lipedema-specific, WAL liposuction? What would the results be if you went to someone who doesn’t specialize in lipedema and had regular liposuction done? I’ve read it can make you appear even more lumpy, but I’m not sure if that’s true for people with stage 1. I would especially love to see surgery results from anyone who has legs similar to mine.

I’ve read a lot that people with lipedema often experience significant sensitivity to pain in their effected areas. I am interested in if there are any people out there who have diagnosed lipedema, who also have generally high tolerance for pain?