If you have lipedema, you've probably been told...
You've spent years searching for answers. Read these — and tell us which ones you've lived through.
- Legs and arms that feel heavy, painful, and 'not yours' — no matter how much you diet or exercise.
- Bruising that appears for no reason and never seems to fully heal.
- Doctors who tell you it's just weight gain — when you know something deeper is wrong.
- Compression and lymphatic massage that help — but only go so far.
- Treatment options that feel either too aggressive or not built for what you actually have.
- Watching your mobility, confidence, and joy slowly slip away.
You have a disease.
Lipedema is a chronic fat-cell disorder affecting an estimated 11% of women — most never get a correct diagnosis. And almost none get the right treatment.
Modified, instrumented, and refined for this disease — and only this disease.
Pioneered by double-board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Bernard Salameh and delivered through the LippyLipo Institute team, the technique uses custom-bent microcannulas — modified by Dr. Salameh himself — to remove lipedema fat while preserving the lymphatic system. Most patients are back to light activity within days.
- ✕General anesthesia risk
- ✕Blood clots risk
- ✕Lymphatic damage common
- ✕Longer recovery
- ✕Modified for cosmetic fat
- ✓Built specifically for lipedema disease
- ✓Custom microcannulas, modified by Dr. Salameh
- ✓Lymphatic-sparing technique
- ✓Anesthesia tailored to your case
- ✓Light activity in days · full recovery in weeks
6 reasons women trust their bodies to LippyLipo
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A technique invented, not borrowed.Dr. Salameh didn't learn LippyLipo somewhere else — he modified it, including the custom microcannulas that make it possible. Every surgeon in our Institute is trained directly in his methodology.
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AAAHC-certified surgical suite (the gold standard)The most rigorous office-based accreditation in the country. Hospital-grade safety, boutique setting.
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Anesthesia matched to your case.Many of our patients are treated awake under local anesthesia, with no breathing tube and no anesthesia grogginess afterward. When that approach is right for your stage and your case, it's what we'll recommend. When it isn't, we'll tell you that too — and explain exactly why.
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Lymphatic-preserving by design.The technique is built specifically to spare the lymphatic system — and the lipedema fat cells we remove are gone for good. Patients still benefit from ongoing lipedema-friendly care, but the diseased tissue itself doesn't grow back.
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Patients travel to us from across the country.Our team helps coordinate lodging, transportation, and a recovery plan that fits your schedule.
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A team that actually listensEvery consultation is personalized. Every plan is honest. Every patient is treated like family.
Imagine, six months from now...
Many patients describe feeling significantly lighter and more comfortable in their own body after recovery.
Walk farther. Take the stairs. Keep up with the people you love — without your legs setting the limit.
Wear what you want. Walk into a room without the body you're in being the first thing you think about.
The surgeon who built the Institute.
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Founder of the LippyLipo Institute.Modified the LippyLipo technique and the custom microcannulas it requires.
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Double-board-certified plastic surgeon.American Board of Plastic Surgery + American Board of Surgery.
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Yale + Vanderbilt-trained.Residency at Yale University, Plastic Surgery Residency at Vanderbilt, Tissue Engineering fellowship at Yale.
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Internationally recognized in lipedema surgical treatment.Distinguished Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). Author of book chapters, abstracts, and peer-reviewed manuscripts.
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Today leads a team of credentialed surgeons trained directly in his methodology.Every LippyLipo procedure performed at the Institute follows the standards he established — and every patient benefits from the technique he continues to refine.
The transformation speaks for itself.
Real LippyLipo patients photographed under standardized lighting. Individual results vary.
"I haven't moved this freely
in twenty years."
"Twenty years of being told to 'just lose weight.' Three hours awake on the table with Dr. Salameh, and I walked out with the legs I'd given up on."
"I flew in from Sweden. By month three I was hiking again. The pain that defined my forties is simply gone."
"He bent his own instruments to do this. You can feel that level of obsession when you're on the table — and you see it in the results."
"No general anesthesia meant I could stand up, look in the mirror, and tell him exactly where to refine. That doesn't happen in a regular OR."
A simple, honest 3-step path to your consultation.
Spend 60 seconds telling us about you. Our coordinator follows up within 24 hours to schedule your complimentary consultation with the LippyLipo Institute team — virtual or in person.
Our surgical team reviews your case, stages your lipedema, and maps a custom treatment plan. No pressure, no upsells — just an honest answer about whether LippyLipo is right for you.
On the day, you arrive at our AAAHC-certified suite for the procedure your surgical team has planned for you. Most patients walk out the same day. Light activity in 24–72 hours. Most return to normal life within 2–3 weeks.
Your questions, answered.
LippyLipo is a lipedema-specific liposuction technique pioneered by Dr. Bernard Salameh and delivered through the LippyLipo Institute team. Unlike traditional liposuction — which is modified for cosmetic fat removal — LippyLipo uses custom microcannulas Dr. Salameh modified himself, and is built around preserving the lymphatic system that lipedema patients can't afford to lose.
It depends on your case. Many LippyLipo patients are treated awake under local (tumescent) anesthesia — fully numb in the treatment area, conscious throughout, no breathing tube, and no anesthesia grogginess afterward. For some patients, depending on the stage of lipedema, the number of areas being treated, and your medical history, a different anesthesia approach is the safer or more comfortable option. Your surgical team will walk you through exactly what's recommended for your case during your consultation — and the reasoning behind it.
Most patients walk out of the suite the same day. Light activity in 24–72 hours. Compression garments for 2–4 weeks. Full activity in 2–3 weeks. Recovery is generally faster than traditional liposuction performed under general anesthesia.
Cost varies based on the number of areas treated and the stage of your lipedema. Most patients complete treatment in 2-4 sessions. We provide a transparent, written quote during your free consultation — no surprises, no pressure.
Yes. We work with several reputable medical financing partners (PatientFi, Cherry, and others) so you can spread your investment over time. Your coordinator will walk you through options.
In our AAAHC-certified surgical suite at 996 Wilkinson Trace, Suite C1, Bowling Green, KY 42103. AAAHC is the gold standard for office-based surgical accreditation in the United States.
Yes — a large portion of our patients travel in from across the U.S. and internationally. Our team guide arrange lodging, transportation, and a recovery schedule that respects your travel window.
Yes, it is complimentary. We believe you deserve clarity before committing to anything.