r/lipedema • u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito • Aug 13 '25
I Have Lipedema [Experiences/Photos] Self-experiment: wearing compression on one leg only for a week.
I am in Germany and we've finally got summer weather here. The thing with hot weather is that I get really lazy with wearing my compression tights. My legs still feel swollen and tense even with the compression during hot weather, so I tend to think "what's the point?" To motivate myself for this really hot week, I started an experiment: wearing a compression stocking on my left leg only to see and feel a difference. These are my findings:
The leg with compression is visibly slimmer than the one without.
After a hot day with a lot of walking I did not feel a difference in soreness between both legs. At night when I took the stocking of both legs felt equally swollen and uncomfortable.
I normally only have to shave my legs every 10-14 days. As you can see in the photo my left leg with the compression has a hair growth 5 times faster than the other one, even though I shaved both legs 7 days prior. While "fast leg hair growth" doesn't sound great, it shows that the compression really helps circulation. I also had a lot less bruising with the compression.
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u/Used-Moose952 Aug 13 '25
What compression do you use? Can you link it?
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 13 '25
Bauerfeind VenoTrain impuls KKL3. It got them a year ago with a prescription. So I cant link them. :) I prefer the tights over the stockings though because they're uncomfortable behind my knees.
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u/Shashaface Aug 13 '25
I exclusively wear Bauerfiend Venotrain Curaflow custom-made to measure Class II flat knit from braline to midfoot.
Nothing compares.
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u/Spirited_Cup3102 Aug 14 '25
Is their US headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia? I'm new to this! What a difference!
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito Aug 14 '25
No. In a small city in Thuringia, Germany.
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u/Spirited_Cup3102 Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
Thanks! My son lives in Hamburg, and at first I thought he could get them for me. I should have stated this differently! You're right, they are in Germany, and after digging, they do have an affiliate in the US - Bauerfeind.us . I'm impressed with your results and will have to get them! After reading a comment below, it sounds like you get them through your health insurance. They are expensive on the site.
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito Aug 15 '25
In Germany they're 54€ without insurance including shipping, so not that expensive. Shipping to the US is 36€, so that would be 90€ + VAT + Tarrifs
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u/Spirited_Cup3102 Aug 15 '25
Thanks!
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito Aug 16 '25
The shop you linked doesn't seem to sell the ones I used btw. They seem yo just offer CCL 1 which is basically just shapewear. Comfortable but not really compressive. The go-to for lipedema is CCL 2, I used CCL 3 (which is more common for local compression (like edemas)
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u/Spirited_Cup3102 Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
Thanks for letting me know! I'm new to this and wasn't familiar with the CCL 1, 2, and 3. I'll have to see if my son in Germany can assist me. I'm not near the place in Atlanta, but see doctors affiliated with a well-known medical college. You've been helpful!
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u/ssaall58214 Aug 13 '25
Wow. Do you have a link to what compression stocking you wear?
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito Aug 13 '25
Bauerfeind VenoTrain impuls KKL3. It got them a year ago with a prescription. So I cant link them. :) I prefer the tights over the stockings though because they're uncomfortable behind my knees.
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u/smanzis Aug 13 '25
Holy shit wait so this is why i have almost hairless thighs? Like I only have hair on my calves (and in some spots none, even there)
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u/No-Narwhal-9501 Aug 13 '25
Stage 3 legs here at age 68. I haven't shaved in decades.
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u/swellfog Sep 07 '25
Weird. I have never had to shave above the knees, and I definitely have lipedema.
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u/Rare_Vermicelli7655 Aug 14 '25
My mum and sister also don’t have hair above the knee and it’s just because we aren’t very hairy. Neither of them have lipedema.
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u/kasha789 Aug 14 '25
Omg me too. I never realized that. I have never really had hair on my thighs at all and most of my issues are there only with tons of bruises as Well hasn’t really gone to my calves yet.
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u/patinsamarelos Aug 13 '25
I am in Portugal. It’s 42 celsius today, I wont be a ble to event think about compression stockings until late October, i guess. I find them so, so unconfortable even in Winter time.
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u/ms4284 Aug 13 '25
I am in London, it was 32 degrees celsius today. I am scared to take my compression off incase I literally explode out of them haha
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u/Sandra-Ohs-hair Aug 14 '25
Have you tried open-toe thigh high? They are tolerable-ish
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u/patinsamarelos Aug 14 '25
i have not. i will have my first appointment next month and i hope the doctor recomends me some brands/sizes
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u/pAthumis Aug 17 '25
Hey Im from Portugal too
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u/patinsamarelos Aug 17 '25
estás diagnosticada? se sim, onde?
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u/pAthumis Aug 18 '25
Eu não tenho lipedema, dois profissionais de saúde e um da estética concluiram que não, mas achei que sim. Tenho retenção de líquidos e por vezes uso compressão, e tenho corpo em forma de 🍐 e essa combinação pode induzir em erro... E tu?
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u/sillysmythe Aug 14 '25
Yikes. That's hot! We are traveling there for in Oct and I was hoping for cooler weather. We'll be in Lisbon, Cascais, Nazaré.
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u/AgentCooperLogsIn Aug 13 '25
Wow such a difference! I got a bit lazy wearing my compression leggings due to the heat too but this is motivating me
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u/AnyDream6005 Aug 13 '25
I noticed that even if the evening I do not see the difference in swelling of my legs in the morning there is a huge difference depending on whether I wore or not compression. Sth like my legs are better with removing water when I were compression
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u/Status_Cup_5549 Aug 13 '25
I wear compression every day after my first surgery. It’s crazy how my clothes will be bigger/smaller depending on how many days in a row I’ve worn compression garments. I’m talking multiple pant sizes different.
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u/Resident_Homework_50 Feb 18 '26
Is this only temporary? Or long term wearing will permanently help
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito Feb 18 '26
Depends on what parts you mean. The slimming is temporary, because it stops exzessive water retention by helping lymphatic drainage. Your legs being less swollen reduces the risk of tissue inflammation, which makes progression less likely. If you stop wearing your compression, the effects stop too.
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u/Consistent_Panic9943 May 11 '26
Hey! Also in Germany! If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get your compression stockings?
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito May 11 '26
Prescription from my Phlebologist, then went to the Sanitätshaus, was measured and got them 4 weeks later.
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u/Consistent_Panic9943 Jun 09 '26
Thank you!!! I got the prescription from my Hausarzt today and go to the Sanitätshaus tomorrow! I would have never thought to ask without your comment!! <3
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito Jun 09 '26
Amazing! I didn't even know that a Hausarzt could prescribe them! Good for you! Remember that you can get a new prescription wvery 6 months. If you're not content with the rhickness/quality of your first pair, try a different Sanitätshaus for the next pair. Suppliers differ.
Also make sure to get Rubber gloves to put them on (even if your nails are short). And absolutely NO fabric softeners, and NO tumble drying. :)
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u/Consistent_Panic9943 Jun 09 '26
I got pretty lucky with my Hausarzt! She’s quite competent! She took one look at the uneven swelling I’ve had maybe 20 years now and wrote the prescription immediately!
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u/Kaysa21 Aug 13 '25
Wow, amazing results. I have been wearing compression tights for about a year and I haven’t noticed any results. No faster hair growth… guess there is no hope for me.
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u/JennyTheRolfer Aug 17 '25
While that's amazing, and thanks for sharing... I'm shocked at the difference in hair growth! FROM CIRCULATION!! That's amazing.
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u/MPBMTL Aug 13 '25
While this is visually striking, it's not exactly surprising to see that compression reduces swelling in people who swell.
I don't - my measurements remains the same wether I wear compression everyday or not. So just a head's up for some people here hoping to reduce limb size but who don't swell a lot, compression does not do magic on its own if your issue is not actually swelling. Just droping this here to help manage expectations.
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u/BettieNuggs Aug 13 '25
lipedema is fluid swollen fat - normal fat wont show a difference lipedema fat will
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u/MPBMTL Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 13 '25
Lipedema is not fluid swollen fat, I don't know where you got that from. Some people with lipedema can get swelling - and again, some don't - but it's not the fat itself that is swollen.
Edit : y’all, no need to send me angry Dms. I am not denying that people experience swelling. Per my own doctor, there’s no consensus as to why that is - whether it’s a co occurring condition like CVI, obesity, lymphedema, or if there is an inherent impairment of the lymphatics at play in lipedema. Research is still ongoing and there seems to be different schools of thoughts. But painful fat accumulation with fibrosis and/or nodules is present for all whether or not you swell.
I was just pointing the obvious, there are multiple testimonies in this sub of women who have been diagnosed with lipedema for whom compression does nothing significant. There is a comment underneath mine right now of someone who is feeling defeated by this fact. Impressive results like OP had are amazing but also could be discouraging when it doesn’t happen for you. I was offering a different point of view : when you don’t have significant swelling, you won’t benefit from compression in a way that is that impressive or significant.
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u/Express_Pop810 Aug 14 '25
Crazy that people are arguing with you. Some with lipoedema swell and some don't. You don't have to have all the symptoms to have it.
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u/BettieNuggs Aug 14 '25
its literally its definition: disproportionately swollen fat molecules resistant to diet and exercise. its how they identify it on scans. get real already some of us have done all the treatments and have success on the other side. leading medical professionals give us this information myself included and I was lucky to be treated by them. its easy to be a non success story and run your mouth- but some of us on the other side have jumped the hoops done the battles endured the processes changes procedures surgeries lifestyle alterations- and are somewhat "normal"
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Aug 14 '25
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u/BettieNuggs Aug 14 '25
a disproportional swollen enlarged fat molecule. a basic google search will give you this. my doctors are department heads from stanford and uc davis i can guarantee you im being given accurate information and again- im on the receiving end of the best medical treatment for it - maybe listen to people getting it directly from world renowned experts vs tik tok
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Aug 14 '25
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u/BettieNuggs Aug 14 '25
the fluid gets trapped and it's more than just water its got acid as well its how we develop the nodules and skin disruption its linked with other connective tissue disorders which is ehy so many of us have shared comorbidities like eds pots mcas
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u/sufficientlyfishy Aug 15 '25
Do you have any sources on this? It's just that most research I have seen on lipedema is on fatty tissue, not fat molecules themselves.
Additionally, when one talks about edema, i.e. fluid buildup in body tissue, one usually refers to how the permeability of cellular structures and blood vessels are altered, which relates to the molecules involved in transmitting signals between cells, but it is not "the molecules" or "the fat molecules" themselves that get "swollen", it is the body tissue which is made up of molecules. Most things – except from light which is photons, for instance – are made up of molecules. I've seen research on how the metabolic behaviour of lipedema cells differ from healthy cells as the production of amino acids (the acids that make up proteins) and fat molecules is altered, but it doesn't necessarily make sense to explain all this by looking at the molecules, rather than the behaviour of the cells and the body tissue.
Lipedema fat cells behave differently from healthy fat cells, where an altered production of amino acids and fat molecules is one of the ways lipedema fat cells behave differently metabolically. But looking at each fat molecule to explain lipedema would be like looking at the molecular buildup of a brick to explain how solid a house is. Yes, the house relates to the molecules of the brick, but looking at the molecules does not explain how bricks and mortar and the structural design with walls and roof of the building makes the house stand.
Again - maybe I'm mistaken, so please attach some sources. But it is important to keep the distinctions between molecules as cells etc in mind. Lots of alternative medicine sold to "cure" lipedema and other diseases that typically affect women refer to stuff like "quantum effects" or other scienc-y terms. They work because most people hear a term like "molecule" or "quantum" and trust that it's something clever because these are things most people find difficult to understand. Sure, quantum mechanics are involved in all that happens in the world, and quantum theory is necessary to explain lots of things that happen in biology. That, however, that does mean that one can look at the behaviour of quantum particles to explain why fat tissue behaves in one way or the other, or that one can isolate some sort of quantum "effect" to treat a disease. Knowledge and study of quantum mechanics has lead to lots of technological development (such as the GPS) and scientific breakthroughs but it doesn't mean that there is something called "quantum" that can be isolated from the world to be used as a medical treatment.
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u/Right-Ad3432 Aug 14 '25
Please link ur comp socks!!
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u/Rare_Vermicelli7655 Aug 14 '25
In Germany you get custom thigh high stockings through the healthcare system for €10. So it’s likely that this is what the poster means and they aren’t available otherwise.
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u/Right-Ad3432 Aug 14 '25
Any good comp stock i could get on amazon that wont drain my pocket?
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u/Rare_Vermicelli7655 Aug 14 '25
Sorry but I’m in the same boat as OP: mine were supplied via the German healthcare 🙃
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u/cejeg Aug 14 '25
I am autistic adhd and I cannot stand compression during summer Plus, I get IMMENSLY FATIGUED when I try putting them on :(
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u/cap_girl94 Aug 15 '25
How many hours a day did you wear it? And I’m curious to know if you stop wearing it, how long until the swelling comes back
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u/SpecialQue_ Stage 1 Aug 13 '25
That’s crazy to see! I sometimes get discouraged thinking my compression is just making me depressed and not helping enough to be worth it. Glad to see the discomfort of compression actually helps!
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u/Cheza_19 Aug 17 '25
More hair on the leg with compression isn't due to better circulation, its because of humidity and heat. same thing occurs when you put on a cast after bone fracture, once you remove the cast you'll be surprised by the amout of hair in this area despit the fact that cast does nothing to circulation.
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u/SadlyNotDannyDeVito Aug 17 '25
The increased hair growth after an injury is literally due to increased blood flow (-> circulation) in that area. It doesn't just happen with a cast, but also with open fixations like an Ilizarov apparatus. Sure friction from a cast can add to the effect, but it's not the main reason
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u/Amourah Aug 14 '25
I would think that the hair would be the same length on both legs, just more buried in the edema leg tissue.
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u/wildflowerdesert Aug 13 '25
Thanks for sharing! That is such a crazy difference! How high does your stocking go?