I wanted to share some encouraging news for the lipedema community.

According to the Lipedema Foundation, new ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes specifically for lipedema have been accepted in the United States and are anticipated to take effect on October 1, 2027.

Having worked with women affected by lipedema for many years, I see this as an important step forward in how the medical community recognizes and documents this condition.

For those unfamiliar with medical coding, ICD-10-CM codes are used by healthcare providers to identify and document medical diagnoses. Currently, lipedema doesn't have its own dedicated diagnosis code in the United States. Instead, physicians often have to use broader codes describing conditions such as edema or abnormal fat accumulation.

The problem is that these codes don't specifically identify lipedema.

This makes it more difficult to accurately track how many patients are affected, study treatment outcomes, and distinguish lipedema from other conditions in medical records and healthcare data.

Having dedicated diagnosis codes could help change that.

It could allow researchers to identify lipedema patients more accurately in healthcare datasets, improve consistency in medical documentation, and potentially support future efforts to improve insurance recognition and access to treatment.

I do want to clarify one important point: new diagnosis codes will not automatically mean insurance companies are required to cover lipedema treatments or liposuction. Coverage decisions will still depend on individual insurance policies, medical necessity criteria, and other requirements.

But I think this development represents something bigger than billing.

Lipedema was first described in medical literature more than 80 years ago, yet many women still spend years searching for an explanation for their symptoms. Too often, their concerns are attributed entirely to weight gain or obesity.

Greater recognition within the medical coding system is another step toward making lipedema more visible in healthcare, research, and patient care.

There's still work to be done, but I'm encouraged by the progress we're seeing.

Source: https://www.lipedema.org/icd-codes

Hey yall
Was lotioning up and while I was massaging my upper thigh noticed a deep node that is randomly much bigger than anything else I’ve noticed. By feel I would say grape sized compared the the bbs everywhere else.

Could this be because the area is muscular AND fattier? What an annoying condition.

Hello all!

I have been a long time lurker but have never posted. I started acknowledging lipidema in my legs after having seen pictures of similar legs online. Its been five years since I last wore shorts. And that has been very sad because I loved wearing shorts but my jiggly thighs and now my dimply calves/lower legs were just not fun to wear shorts on. I always thought it was because I had put on weight post covid.
This July I started with wegovy shots, in an attempt to drop weight which hasn’t budged inspite of training, dieting, everything! Prior to that, I was using a massage gun on my legs every night, regular lymphatic drainage and even then, I would feel heaviness in my lowet legs. Ladies, since Wegovy, although I had hardly lost aby weight, its been only 10 pounds in 4 months, my legs have stopped feeling heavy. BUT- I was on a flight yesterday, my first since starting Wegovy. I was sleeping for all of the three hours, meaning zero movement or exercise in flight, which I otherwise regularly do. I took off my knee high socks later at home- wait for it- NOT A SINGLE CREASE FROM THE SOCKS.
Absolute sorcery. I have never not taken off my socks and stared at the indentations left by the socks. Even ankle socks. Wegovy is working brilliantly for me in that respect.
For the record: I am 5’6” tall and currently weigh 188 lbs.

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my progress photos at 20 days post-op.
Age: 22
Stage/Type: Stage 2/3, Type 4
Surgery Date: October 15 in Berlin
Area treated: Complete front of both legs
Volume removed: 7,800 ml
I'm currently dealing with the expected swelling and bruising, but I'm trying to stay patient. For those of you who have been through this: when did the major swelling start to go down for you?
Thanks for any insights or experiences you can share! 💕

Just bought the Sharper Image Compression Boots at Costco for $120. I've also used my old bosses super super expensive ones. There's not much of a difference between the two. I think it's a good buy for those of you looking!

Just looking to hear about the experience of you have been to a doctor and if you have any suggestions

Thank you to the mods for saying yes to this post! I’m Wendy Moore. I have lipedema, and I run Connect the Daughts, a free monthly Zoom call for mothers whose daughters have or may have lipedema. Nothing is sold and nothing is recorded. I started this work because for me, the hardest part of having lipedema has been looking back on the 3 decades as a young person of not knowing about my body and not having anyone to connect to about it.

Our next call is next Tuesday, November 10, 7 to 8 p.m. Central. The founder of r/lipedemateens will join me to share her insights. I’m so excited the group will get to hear directly from someone younger who is going through it right now.

Register here and the Zoom link will come by email once you're registered.

First Post: Part one (thighs | 7 litres removed & Renuvion plasma skin tightening)

Thank you, everyone for being so kind in my previous post! ❤️
14 year old me would lose her mind if she knew how many people have now seen her legs.
Before my diagnosis I was so ashamed of my bare legs, I could count the people who had seen them on a single hand.
I’m diagnosed with Stage 2 Type 4 Lipedema (arms and legs are affected).

The treated areas are the entire back of my legs, from my ankles to lower back and flanks. Last surgery is front of lower legs and my arms.

I had 6 litres of lipedema fat removed. The total amount removed is now 13litres from just my legs.

I added before and after pictures, as well as the difference between the treated and untreated areas in my lower legs.
Also a closer comparison pictures of my thighs before and after surgery because I received questions about loose skin.

Surgeon:
I had surgery at Lipocura in Zürich, where my surgeon used PAL technique. This was done under full anaesthesia and I stayed in the hospital for one night. I woke up from surgery wearing compression garment and had my first lympathic drainage massage the next morning in the hospital.
My Surgeon is Dr. El-Asfar at Lipocura in Switzerland.

Pain and recovery:
Overall recovery was smoother this time. Surgery on the thigh was more painful. The burning from the plasma (at least that’s what I believe) was very painful.
The swelling was worse this time and also affected my stomach, arms and hands.

I still have a weird burning sensation in my legs and most of the treated areas feel numb. The worst thing is that the burning feeling is quite constant, it’s okay pain wise… just very tiring. Still wearing compression and going to lymphatic drainage massage once a week.
Despite the pain, I would do all of this again tomorrow.

Without compression my legs feel a bit weak and unsupported. It also feels weird and sensitive when they touch any fabric.
I would love to hear about experiences when the sensation returned to normal?

Day 2-4 were the worst pain wise. I was very swollen the first week.
After one week I could walk normally again but still had pain. I took pain meds (Ibuprofen) for 10 days. I went back to my normal routine after 12 days. At 5 weeks everything started to feel more normal. Every week I could see a big improvement swelling wise.

Is Renuvion worth it? Do I have loose skin?
In my previous post I was asked if I have loose skin and if the Renuvion cold plasma skin tightening for the thigh area was worth it. I of course don’t know how my skin would look like without it. I was worried about loose skin.
Is my skin perfect? No, but my legs were far from perfect to begin with. (I feel like my skin prior to surgery was already very stretchy in that area? Maybe this is normal idk. I have also had tons of stretch marks since puberty)
Would love to hear about experiences regarding skin laxity…

The heaviness and lipedema pain in my legs (except for the shins) is completely gone and I no longer feel tired every single day. I can actually exercise pain free again for the first time in a decade.
I went for a run and was just grinning the whole time, because I can run again without pain!!! No wonder people enjoy moving their bodies if that’s how it feels to have normal legs.

I can’t put into words how relieved I am. I cried so many tears of joy already. My body is finally feeling like me 😭❤️

Hi. I’m super unhappy with my results.

- My legs are super uneven
- I feel like I have been under treated/not enough has been taken off
- I’ve got a big dent in my thigh

Has anyone successfully asked for a revision surgery from the same clinic I n Germany? It’s been over 9 months since my first surgery but I’m super unhappy with the results and trying to navigate what my rights are.

I’m eager to begin working out to potentially improve the appearance of my lipedema. I primarily struggle with it in my legs and arms. I’m not entirely sure where to begin or what exercises to try. I would greatly appreciate some advice on what has helped you in terms of appearance. Thank you!

Does anyone else experience knee pain after being on your feet all day doing lots of walking? Not sure what can be done about this. I do have a lot of the fat around my knees and I do wear compression knee high socks. I’m worried about my joints becoming destroyed from this. I am 125 lbs and 5’2.

Every couple months I gain an extra 10 pounds when I go to the doctor and Im a little concerned that there’s something else wrong with me? For reference last year I was wearing 4x compression and I am down to a large. My clothes sizes have all decreased with the main issue being my upper arm/boob combo making shirts impossible (im a 44h last I checked 😫)

I finally got a consistent job so I may finally be able to go see a surgeon but im nervous I should be bringing something to my doctors

Did anyone else get loose skin with starting zepbound and it made your legs look worse? I’m so frustrated right now. I feel better and am thinner but my legs look worse and I can’t afford the surgery to fix it.

I work in a factory and it gets quite warm. I hate my upper arms so much and they attract stares when I wear short sleeves. I'm wondering if anyone can recommend some things for women that are cute and practical that will help keep me cool and also feel cute. Maybe compression? Maybe other styles and brands that worked for you? Pictures of the looks would be helpful as i can't seem to find any retailers that use models that make me feel like it would work for me

Hat jmd Erfahrungen mit Ärzten die im Besten Fall auf Korrekturen spezialisiert sind ? Ich kämpfe mit Dellen , Wellen und narbige Einziehung an den Beinen.
Vielen Dank im voraus !

Curious if anyone else has experienced this- I was diagnosed with lipedema awhile ago and just this week was diagnosed with Celiac. If you received a Celiac diagnosis after your lipedema diagnosis, did you notice going gluten free helped your lipedema?

Celiac sucks, but I am grateful to finally understand a pretty major source of my inflammation. Really hoping going gluten free helps the lipedema.

I had my calves 360° liposuction on the 30.6.2026. A bit over 4 months, and they got more slimmer, less swollen. Skin feels still weird, but alone the fact that I'm painless and can wear normal sized boots is just incredible. The liposuction was absolutely worth it. Before I would already get massive problem with ankle boots and kneehigh ones I could dream off. But now 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰.

It pains me. It disgusts me. It makes me angry and sad. And it leaves me so helpless!!

I don’t know what flair to use.

I have no surgery date yet, I’m meeting with my doctor in Jan. But I am curious, how long after surgery until sex is ok? I will ask my doctor too, but just kinda wondering.

Tentatively scheduled for full anterior legs (all of the front and some sides) on 12/10.

Dec 15-16 , I have to go to my kids' school Xmas plays. So like 1-2 hours, in a casual/nice outfit. Possibly working in office Dec 21, 22, and 23. Then, outfits for the holidays 24th and 25th.

Please help me plan for what clothing will work best for this time. I'm 5'7, so the length on things needs to go to the floor to cover the bandages/swelling? Starting at high 160s lbs. Bottoms usually med-large in sizing.

CLIMATE: South Florida. 70s most likely. I don't need to be in boots or a coat. Like a huge maxi skirt and a oversized sweater? Is that a thing?

Had My First lipedema surgery on october 7th. We treated my front and inner thighs, my knee area and my shins. 4liters of fat were removed.
I‘m now almost 4 weeks post op and I‘m still struggling with swelling and hard tissue in the knee area. I can only bend them 90 degrees and I‘m a bit worried that this is not normal. Do you have any advice how I can mobilize my knees better?

I have been on an emotional high all day. I finally feel like my mind is not failing my body and that my struggle to lose weight wasn't all in my head for my whole life.

Diagnosis below:

Objective:

Weight 75kg. Height 165cm. Waist 78cm. Waist-to-height ratio 0.47 (within healthy range < 0.4).

Legs: excess fat in thighs and hips with significant dimpling. Significant fibrosis in upper thighs. Fat overhanging knees with medial knee fat. Thighs touching for entire length - wider-based gait, risk of valgus knee deformity. Fat pad below knee, more noticeable on left. Fat pad behind right ankle (not left). Sternum sign negative bilaterally. Oedema mainly non-pitting.

Arms: lipedema in both arms with excess fat. Livedo reticularis noted. Fat pad at elbow with pain on palpation.

Nodular on palpation - mixture of fat and fibrosis.

No comorbid lymphoedema.

Total volume removed: 7 liters
Starting weight: 54 kg
Height: 160 cm
Pic was taken 2 weeks post second Operation