“They called me the bottle of Orangina“, says Emmy in a video devoted to the popularization of her disease. Little known, lipoedema is also called “post leg disease”. It causes heavy complexes in women who are affected. But what is it exactly?
“It’s in your head, it’s your morphology”
Lipedema is a disease that results in a concentration of subcutaneous fatty tissue, mostly on the lower limbs of the body, from the hips to the ankles. On top of this abnormally stored fat is edema which causes pain and pressure. It is estimated that the disease affects approximately 1 in 10 women, but medicine is not very aware of this disease in France. In a video published by Simone media, Emmy recounts having seen a dozen doctors. Their response was consistently:it’s in your head, you’re southern, it’s your morphology“.
But the young woman develops significant bruises on her legs for no reason, has difficulty climbing stairs, feels constant and painful pressure. She persists and seeks further medical advice until the day she is finally diagnosed with lipoedema. During his first operation, to lighten his lower legs, two liters of fat were removed..
Lipedema is recognized as a chronic disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). But it is still little known and therefore poorly supported in France. A question addressed to the Minister of Health by Senator Michel Dagbert, dated April 16, 2020stresses the need to improve both the diagnosis and the reimbursement of care, which is often exorbitant.
What causes lipoedema?
It mainly affects women and is also characterized by presence of hematomas, nodules, variscosities and difficulty in moving. Over time, the fatty mass increases and the complications with it. Its causes remain unclear: it is assumed to have a hormonal origin and a genetic origin. It can occur during adolescence or after pregnancy.
It could be favored in people who tend to retain water. Contrary to a priori, lipoedema has nothing to do with being overweight. The body creates fat on its own, regardless of the patient’s diet.
How to treat lipoedema?
There is no known way to address the causes of lipoedema yet. But it is possible to relieve the symptoms and improve the aesthetic issue. Two types of methods are practiced.
- “Soft” techniques first. The pressotherapy : these are large inflatable boots which come to exert pressure in order to drain the internal liquids from the tissues. It also improves blood circulation. The crenotherapyeither a thermal water cure, the results of which are not a priori very satisfactory or even the manual lymphatic drainage which consists of massages to improve the circulation of the lymph.
- Surgical techniques. The two main ones are liposuction to remove grease or laser fat destructionradiofrequency or ultrasound.
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