In Lipoedema, the hips, buttocks and leg, are out of proportion with the rest of the body. The amount of Lipoedema a woman has and the way it is distributed on her legs and hips, varies between women, some may just have small pockets of fat above the ankles for example, while in others there’s an obvious discrepancy in size between their upper and lower body. Lipoedema can also develop in the upper arms.

Lipoedema most often develops at times of hormonal change, often at puberty, before which time a person will have had a ‘normal’ body shape Lipoedema can be very distressing if the affected area does not reduce in size, despite following the same healthy diet and exercise routines as family or friends.

Unlike normal weight gain caused by over-eating or lack of exercise, Lipoedema fat often (but not always) can be painful or feel heavy and hurt when banged or scraped, even gently. It also can bruise easily and many women experience multiple frequent bruising. There doesn’t appear to be any correlation between size of areas effected and how painful it is.

Lipoedema looks and feels different to normal body fat; softer and dimpled, like cellulite. Even women with Lipoedema who’ve developed Anorexia Nervosa can still display clear physical symptoms.