Lipedema Treatment in Portland, Oregon – Compassionate Care for a Painful, Misunderstood Condition
If you’ve spent years battling leg or arm fullness that is symmetrical, tender, and resistant to diet and exercise—often while your hands and feet remain unaffected—you’re not alone. Lipedema is a distinct, painful fat disorder frequently mistaken for obesity, leading many to feel unheard and discouraged. As a dedicated lipedema specialist in Portland, Dr. Aaron Gilson recognizes the hallmark signs—abnormal fat accumulation in the legs (and sometimes arms), easy bruising, and heaviness that limits daily life—and provides validation, clear diagnosis, and a path forward.
At Gilson Plastic Surgery, we offer evidence-based lipedema treatment in Portland, Oregon. This specialized approach—often called lipedema liposuction in Oregon—carefully removes diseased fat while protecting lymphatic structures, helping reduce pain, improve mobility, and restore more natural body proportions. When appropriate, comprehensive lipedema surgery in Portland is tailored in stages for safety and optimal outcomes—so you can move, dress, and live with renewed comfort and confidence.
Unfortuantely, many patients struggle with securing insurance coverage for lipedema. We have found that many patients have good success using an advocacy group such as the Lipedema Coverage Connection. They specialize in making sure your insurance company covers your medically necessary treatment.
Beyond Diet and Exercise: Understanding Lipedema, the Painful Fat Disorder
Lipedema is a chronic condition marked by symmetrical fat distribution—most often in the hips, thighs, calves, and sometimes the upper arms—while hands and feet are typically spared, creating a telltale “cuffing” at the wrists and ankles. Patients frequently report painful legs (lipedema), tenderness to touch, and easy bruising; the tissue may feel nodular or rubbery and is fat resistant to diet and exercise. Many notice a sense of heaviness, reduced stamina, and difficulty finding clothing that fits both the torso and limbs.
Because lipedema can coexist with weight changes, it’s often misdiagnosed as simple obesity or confused with lymphedema. The distinction matters: obesity involves generalized fat gain that usually responds to calorie changes; lymphedema is fluid-dominant swelling that commonly affects the feet and can be pitting. Lipedema, by contrast, is a painful fat disorder driven by abnormal adipose tissue that spares the hands and feet and presents in symmetrical patterns. Hormonal influences (puberty, pregnancy, menopause) and family history are common, and the condition can progress through lipedema stages and types if untreated. If these lipedema symptoms in Portland sound familiar, a focused evaluation with Dr. Gilson can clarify the diagnosis and outline next steps for diagnosing lipedema in Portland and planning effective, lymphatic-sparing care.
The Lipedema Coverage Connection is an independent patient-advocacy organization that many women with lipedema find helpful when navigating insurance challenges. They are not a law firm or an insurance service, but a group of advocates with medical, legal, and patient-support backgrounds who have helped thousands of patients understand how to pursue prior authorizations, appeals, network exceptions, and fair payment for lipedema surgery. Their web-based tools are designed to teach patients how to advocate for themselves effectively, using strategies and documents based on current research and real-world coverage outcomes. Importantly, they work completely independently from surgeons and insurance companies, and their mission centers on educating patients, raising standards for safe liposuction practices, and pushing for stronger legal protections for those seeking medically necessary treatment. Patients exploring insurance pathways for lipedema may find their resources, experience, and advocacy insight valuable when determining how best to pursue coverage.
Therapeutic Lipedema Liposuction: Specialized Care to Restore Health and Mobility
Why Specialized Liposuction is Crucial for Lipedema
Unlike routine cosmetic fat reduction, lipedema care prioritizes therapeutic fat reduction in Portland to relieve pain, heaviness, and mobility limits—while preserving the lymphatic system. Standard cosmetic liposuction can be too aggressive for lipedema’s inflamed, fibrotic tissue and may injure delicate lymphatic channels, worsening swelling and symptoms.
Dr. Gilson’s approach focuses on lymphatic preservation liposuction, using low-pressure, controlled techniques and careful cannula paths along recognized lymphatic “safe zones.” The goal is functional relief and proportionality first, aesthetics second—so you move, stand, and dress with greater comfort and confidence.
The Lipedema Surgical Technique
For appropriate candidates, Dr. Gilson performs liposuction to gently free and remove diseased fat.
These specialized liposuction techniques allow thorough lipedema fat removal in Portland with smaller incisions, controlled fluid management, and improved surgeon feedback. By respecting tissue planes and limiting heat or trauma, Dr. Gilson supports reduced postoperative swelling and a smoother return to activity.
Customized Staging for Safety and Comprehensive Results
Because lipedema often affects multiple limb regions, comprehensive treatment may require lipedema surgery staging—a planned series of sessions that prioritize safety, circulation, and lymphatic health. Staging helps limit operative time and fluid shifts while maximizing the total volume of painful fat removed across treatments.
Your plan is individualized: Dr. Gilson sequences lipedema surgery in Oregon or liposuction sessions by area (e.g., lower legs first, then thighs/arms) to achieve durable, functional improvement without compromising recovery. This thoughtful, phased strategy ensures therapeutic fat reduction in Portland that relieves pain, improves gait and stamina, and restores more natural proportions—so results are not only visible, but truly life-enhancing.
Are you ready to start your journey?
Hi, I’m Dr. Aaron Gilson
As a board-certified plastic surgeon with fellowship training in aesthetic surgery, I have always been passionate about helping individuals achieve their personal vision of beauty and confidence. My approach combines meticulous attention to detail, advanced surgical techniques, and a compassionate understanding of each patient's unique desires and concerns. I am dedicated to ensuring that each patient receives the best possible outcomes, tailored to harmonize with their body and aspirations. Whether you're looking to restore or enhance, I’m here to support and guide you through every step of your journey.