This article will provide a profile of the patient affected by lipedema consulting Dr Nicolas Zwillinger, as well as that of the patient undergoing WAL liposuction: surgical treatment of pole leg disease.
1. Profile of the patient consulting Dr Nicolas Zwillinger for her pole legs
It’s important to point out that this pathology overwhelmingly affects women, and that although men can also be affected, to date no one has consulted Dr. Nicolas Zwillinger on this subject.
It is estimated that between 20 and 25% of patients have already been diagnosed with lipedema, sometimes by an angiologist or phlebologist, in rare cases by the general practitioner and most of the time by self-diagnosis. As this condition is relatively unknown in France, Emmy Make-up’s portrait of the condition on the French TV program Sept à huit gave many women the opportunity to put their sufferings into words: lipedema!
The consultation with Dr. Nicolas Zwillinger provides an opportunity to make or confirm the diagnosis, and to determine the areas affected. All women who consult us are affected in the lower limbs (ankles, calves, knees, thighs and saddlebags), but in 25% of cases, lipedema also affects the upper limbs (arms and sometimes forearms).
There are different stages of lipedema, allowing us to measure the severity of the pathology, with stage 1 corresponding to the least advanced stage, and stage 4 to the most advanced. In his practice, Dr. Nicolas Zwillinger has observed the following breakdown:
Dr Nicolas Zwillinger
The genetic factor in pole-leg disease has not been proven, but 55% of patients consulting Dr. Nicolas Zwillinger believe that a family member is also affected (mainly mother, grandmother). Please see our article on this subject.
In order to remedy post legs, patients consulting the surgeon have already resorted to different techniques:
- Liposuction of affected areas for 25% (by another surgeon)
- Sport (67%)
- Diet (81%)
- Lymphatic drainage (50%)
- Wearing compression garments (70%)
For some of these techniques, a momentary benefit may be felt, but these are techniques that limit the progression of lipedema or induce a short-term reduction in symptoms.
The most common symptoms in women with lipedema are spontaneous pain, heaviness, swelling and bruising.
During the first consultation, Dr. Nicolas Zwillinger explains the WAL liposuction technique in detail, answers all patients’ questions and provides a quote for a possible operation.
2. Profile of the patient who underwent post-leg surgery with Dr Nicolas Zwillinger
To date, Dr Nicolas Zwillinger has operated on more than 260 patients suffering from lipedema.
The average age of patients operated on in this context was 36. The youngest was 17 on the day of her operation, and the oldest 75. The graph below shows the distribution of patients according to age. We note that the vast majority of women operated on are between the ages of 25 and 45, but there is no age limit for WAL liposuction. We invite you to read an article on this subject.
On average, 2 operations are required to treat lipedema; when the upper limbs are also affected, 3 operations are needed.
To date, liposuction procedures for the treatment of lipedema can be broken down as follows:
Dr. Nicolas Zwillinger recommends liposuction of the lower limbs (“legs”) first, then the upper limbs (“thighs”), and in some cases the upper limbs (“arms and forearms”) in a third stage. In rare cases, it is possible to combine liposuction of 2 areas, but this is a decision for the surgeon alone.
The order of operations may vary according to the patient’s needs and the surgeon’s advice.
Women often ask “how much fat will liposuction remove?”, and this depends on a number of factors (stage of lipedema, patient’s BMI, areas suctioned…). In the illustration below, you can see the average volume of pure fat suctioned, depending on the areas suctioned. It can be seen that the “thigh” zone is the area from which the most fat is suctioned, making this procedure generally more tiring.
In this article, we’ve outlined the typical profile of a patient affected by pole legs. Bear in mind that this pathology affects all types of women, regardless of social background, origin, weight, height or age. Whatever your profile, it’s possible to take action. We invite you to complete the online pre-consultation to get in touch with our teams and learn more, or to join the #jesuis11pourcent community.
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