Lipoedema vs Mental Health

Hello everyone, I’m Dr Puneet Gupta, and I specialise in lipoedema and have been working as a lipoedema specialist on Harley Street.

I have been treating lipoedema patients for more than 15 years. I listen to all those heartfelt stories about how this chronic condition affects the quality of life of these patients. There is enough evidence out there that confirms, and from my own personal experience too, that most of the ladies suffering from lipoedema, their mental health is affected so badly, which in turn affects their quality of life on a day-to-day basis. More than the physical symptoms, it’s their mental health that is affected due to disproportionate body image, being unable to fit into those smart trousers or showing their legs in skirts, “sleeping in a separate bed as my heavy legs hurts my husband, I am starving but still obese, clever but disregarded, depression, and anxiety causing their obesity to worsen. Therefore, it is crucial for me, as a medical professional, to address both the mental and physical health of lipoedema patients. You can easily dismiss all these symptoms by saying that you are obese and that you need to eat less and exercise more.

Lipoedema is actually dealing with the stress of a condition with very little to no support from the healthcare system, which affects patients’ mental health adversely. Now we know that it is mainly genetics and hormonal fluctuation in the body that cause lipoedema.

Micro liposuction under tumescent anaesthesia : Safe technique for treating the big areas

I understood this condition earlier when I started my career in liposuction. Removing an abnormal collection of fat from a big, lumpy leg is not just cosmetic; it’s lifesaving. The quality of life of these patients improved; the pain is gone, their mobility got better, and they were happy that now their calves can fit into the boots in winter. Their experience was life-changing. Now we know a bit more about lipoedema. It is a progressive disease, as we all know now, but the good thing is that fat did not come back to the treated areas. It can progress to other untreated areas like arms or lower legs. Micro liposuction under tumescent anaesthesia, or some call it water-assisted liposuction, is the safest mode of treatment for lipoedema, even

treating big areas like thighs, calves, and ankles, or you can call it cankles, arms, or forearms, or chin liposuction. Micro liposuction involves using smaller cannulas as compared to traditional liposuction or Vaser liposuction, and there is no heat involved in this technique. This is why it is less damaging to the lymphatic system and the skin over the fat. Furthermore, with smaller cannulas, it is easier to provide better circumferential precision for calves and ankles or arms with no bumps and lumps but a smooth finish to these areas. I have mastered treating these difficult areas with utmost precision during my practice of performing over 3500 liposuction cases, and I am an expert in both micro liposuction and Vaser liposuction.

Those of you who understand lipoedema probably know how challenging and difficult it has been to diagnose lipoedema correctly and then manage it. Unlike obesity, in which fat is spread out across the body and can be ameliorated through diet and exercise, lipoedema fat resists such efforts. And while obesity is associated with lifestyle and metabolic influences, lipoedema displays a specific pattern and is associated with pain and bruising. In this whole process, of course, nobody has ever had the chance to discuss the mental health of those who suffer from lipoedema and how it can impact their lives on a day-to-day basis.

How Lipeodema affects quality of life : Impacts both mental & physical health

There is enough evidence out there that confirms, and from my own personal experience too, that most of the ladies suffering from lipoedema, their mental health and physical health are affected so badly, which in turn affects their quality of life. A lot of these symptoms are not just physical disabilities due to the progressive disease but also the appearance of their bodies they display, which affects these patients, and they suffer in silence. They feel they have hit a brick wall, leading to negative mental health impacts, and all this transpires into negative mental health. There is nothing wrong with them, but it is often the delay in diagnosing or missing the diagnosis or not managing the lipoedema correctly that leads to these patients having to live with the burden of their disease, the burden of the symptoms, and their mental health getting affected negatively, in addition to all the physical challenges they go into depression, anxiety, or eating disorder. These ladies cry for desperate help.

Now as we understand lipoedema better, there is enough information available. Do your research, join the lipoedema groups where you would find women with similar symptoms, talk to them, and support each other.

At Hunar Clinic, I am always available to speak to my patients. It is not always about treating patients or performing surgery. Sometimes you just need an ear to listen to and get your thoughts across and perhaps understand the journey of your disease moving forward and explore your options. I understand that the NHS does not provide this treatment, as was recently highlighted in the media, and that liposuction can be expensive, but dividing the surgery at different times can help. That is why it is important to book your consultation, come with an open mind, explore your options, and understand the journey of lipoedema better. I am always available to listen to my patients.

So please do not hesitate to get in touch at any time. If you wish to come, speak to me and discuss your condition any further. All the best.

About Dr. Puneet Gupta:
With over 15 years of excellence at Harley Street, Dr. Puneet Gupta is an elite specialist in Microlipo and VASER, the gold standard in body contouring. Personally trained by Dr. Jeffrey Klein, the inventor of tumescent liposuction, he has successfully performed over 3,500 liposuction procedures, solidifying his reputation as one of the UK’s leading experts in advanced body contouring & lipoedema treatment.

Connect with Hunar Clinic: 

Location: Hunar Clinic, Old Amersham Road, Gerrards Cross, SL9 7BG, United Kingdom

Phone: 01753 882239

Email: info@hunarclinic.co.uk

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