Q: I am a woman in my early 50s. For the past 25 years I have been getting lumps of fat under my skin in the muscles. There were more 40 at last count. Some are just under the skin and some are deeper in the muscle tissue. I have them all over my body but mostly they are in my thighs and arms. Except for some deeper lumps in my arms, they are painless and range in size from a pea to a large walnut. A large, egg-sized lump was removed surgically four years ago and has since grown back in the same place.
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What causes them? Is there any way to prevent getting more? Is there any way other than surgery to remove them?
A: Lumps of fat under the skin are known as lipomas. They are not cancerous and they grow under the skin in the subcutaneous tissue. They are common and can occur in people of all ages, but mainly in adulthood and middle age.
Single lipomas are more common in women, while multiple ones are more often found in men. They are dome shaped or egg shaped and range from two to 10 centimetres in diameter. Most people do not notice them until they are big enough to see and feel. They feel soft and smooth and can be easily moved about under the skin with the fingers. Somehave a more rubbery or doughyconsistency.
Lipomas most often occur on the neck and shoulders, upper body and arms, but they can grow anywhere that fat tissue is present.
Lipomas are not usually painful, but they can be if they also include increased numbers of small blood vessels. Unfortunately, there is no permanent solution to your problem because they tend to keep occurring and surgery is the only way to deal with them. No one really knows what causes them, but they may run in some families.
Toothpaste for rashes?
Q: Someone told me that toothpaste could be used to treat skin rashes in horses and other animals. Is it useful for humans with itchy rashes?
A: Toothpaste has been used for various reasons other than to clean teeth. I am also aware that cattle ranchers have used it to treat ringworm. I am not sure what veterinarians have to say about that.
I know one woman who thought that it was logical to try Sensidyne toothpaste for sensitive teeth on her painful shingles rash because she knew it contained a type of local anesthetic.
She said it relieved the itch and pain. Someone else accidentally used toothpaste instead of his usual cream for hemorrhoids and found it to be quite soothing.
In the 1970s in Ireland where contraceptives were illegal at that time, women found that Macleans Junior toothpaste worked as a spermicide along with the diaphragm.
I do not recommend using toothpaste for medical reasons, but it is interesting. Perhaps readers have found some other uses that they can share with us.
Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with a practice near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding medical questions and treatments.
