Kare Plastic Surgery & Skin Health Center · Santa Monica & Los Angeles
Minimal Scar Lipoma Removal
Los Angeles
804 7th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403 · Near Montana Avenue · (310) 998-5533
Small incision technique, complete capsule excision, and dermatopathology collaboration — by UCLA-trained board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian at Kare Plastic Surgery in Santa Monica
Call (310) 998-5533 Request a Consultation
📍 804 7th Street, Santa Monica — Near Montana Avenue
📞 (310) 998-5533
🌟 UCLA-Trained Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
📋 PPO Insurance Accepted
UCLASchool of Medicine Graduate
SmallIncision Minimal Scar Technique
Dermatopathology Collaboration
PPOInsurance Accepted
Minimal Scar Lipoma Removal Los Angeles
The Incision Should Be as Small as Possible.
The Removal Should Be Complete.
Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Graduate, UCLA School of Medicine · Minimal Scar Lipoma Removal · Dermatopathology Collaboration · Kare Plastic Surgery, Santa Monica
A lipoma is a benign fatty tumor that can develop anywhere on the body — back, neck, shoulder, arm, abdomen, or scalp — and produce anything from a barely noticeable soft lump to the dramatically visible postpartum back lipoma affectionately nicknamed “the alien” by patient @champagneandcheerioss, whose TikTok documented her complete removal experience with Dr. Karamanoukian at Kare Plastic Surgery (see below). The clinical standard for lipoma removal is surgical excision — but the incision size, the completeness of capsule removal, and what happens to the specimen after excision vary enormously between providers, and those three variables determine whether the procedure leaves a minimal scar, achieves a permanent result, and correctly identifies the rare liposarcoma that can masquerade as a benign lipoma.
At Kare Plastic Surgery & Skin Health Center at 804 7th Street in Santa Monica near Montana Avenue, UCLA-educated and board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS performs minimal scar lipoma removal using a small incision technique and close collaboration with board-certified dermatopathologists who confirm the benign diagnosis on every removed specimen. This is the surgical standard, not the cosmetic shortcut.
30–50%Incision length relative to lipoma diameter
<1%Recurrence with complete capsule excision
PPOInsurance accepted for medically indicated cases
AllSpecimens sent to dermatopathology at Kare
Lipoma Removal Services at Kare Plastic Surgery
- Minimal scar small incision excision — all body locations
- Large lipoma removal — back, abdomen, neck, shoulder
- Facial and scalp lipoma removal — hidden incision technique
- Deep / intramuscular lipoma — with pre-operative MRI evaluation
- Recurrent lipoma revision after prior incomplete excision
- Dermatopathology specimen submission on all cases
- Pre-operative ultrasound — liposarcoma exclusion when indicated
- PPO insurance authorization — medically indicated lipomas
Kare Plastic Surgery · Santa Monica · Near Montana Avenue
Have a lump that needs evaluation? Schedule with Dr. Karamanoukian today.
Real Patient Experience · @champagneandcheerioss · TikTok
A Real Patient’s Lipoma Story
Actual patient of Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian at Kare Plastic Surgery · Back lipoma · Individual results may vary
Step 1 — Pre-Op Lipoma marked, incision planned — smaller than the lipoma diameter
Step 2 — Assessment Soft, mobile, well-defined lipoma confirmed by palpation
Step 3 — Post-Op Heart dressing — lipoma officially GONE. Minimal incision, healed beautifully
📸 TikTok: @champagneandcheerioss · “My postpartum alien (aka lipoma/fatty pocket) is officially GONE!!!”
This patient’s back lipoma, which she affectionately called her “postpartum alien," was removed through a minimal incision by Dr. Karamanoukian at Kare Plastic Surgery in Santa Monica. The pre-operative surgical marking shows the planned incision line (significantly shorter than the lipoma diameter), the intraoperative assessment confirms the soft, mobile character of the lipoma, and the heart-shaped dressing marks immediate post-procedure care. The “postpartum alien is officially GONE” outcome reflects the straightforward, low-downtime experience of an in-office lipoma removal under local anesthesia at Kare Plastic Surgery.
The Kare Difference
Why Minimal Scar + Dermatopathology Is the Complete Standard
The minimal scar technique alone is half the clinical equation. The other half — the half that most high-volume lipoma removal providers omit — is submitting every excised specimen to a board-certified dermatopathologist for histologic confirmation of the benign diagnosis. Liposarcoma, the most common soft tissue sarcoma in adults, can present as a soft, painless subcutaneous mass that is clinically indistinguishable from a benign lipoma. Removing it with the same simple excision technique applied to a confirmed benign lipoma — without oncologic margins, without staging, and without pathologic specimen analysis — is a preventable error that only dermatopathology collaboration can avoid.
01
Minimal Incision Design
Incision placed at 30–50% of lipoma diameter, aligned with natural skin tension lines at the specific anatomical location. Back incisions follow horizontal Langer’s lines. Arm incisions placed in skin creases. Scars heal to near-invisible flat lines within 6–12 months.
02
Complete Capsule Excision
The lipoma is removed as an intact unit with its fibrous capsule — eliminating the residual capsular cells that drive the 5–10% recurrence rate seen when lipomas are enucleated or incompletely excised through squeeze-out techniques without formal capsule dissection.
03
Dermatopathology Collaboration
All excised specimens submitted to board-certified dermatopathologists who confirm the benign lipoma diagnosis histologically — ruling out liposarcoma, angiolipoma, spindle cell variants, and other atypical presentations that cannot be excluded by clinical or ultrasound evaluation alone.
04
Layered Scar-Minimizing Closure
Deep dermal tension-relieving absorbable sutures before epidermal closure — the plastic surgery scar standard applied to every excision site. Post-operative silicone tape and structured scar management protocol initiated at the first follow-up visit.
“Our goal is to safely and effectively remove a lipoma with minimal longterm scarring.”
— Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian · Kare Plastic Surgery, Santa Monica
PPO insurance accepted for medically indicated lipoma removal. When a lipoma causes documented pain, functional limitation, rapid growth, or diagnostic uncertainty requiring histologic evaluation, most PPO plans cover the removal. This is based on your insurance coverage. Kare Plastic Surgery assists with insurance pre-authorization. Call (310) 998-5533 to verify your coverage before scheduling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get minimal scar lipoma removal in Los Angeles?
Kare Plastic Surgery at 804 7th Street in Santa Monica near Montana Avenue offers minimal scar lipoma removal by UCLA-trained board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian. Small incision technique, complete capsule excision, dermatopathology specimen submission, and PPO insurance for medically indicated cases. Call (310) 998-5533. We serve patients from Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Malibu, and all of Los Angeles.
How small is the incision for lipoma removal?
Dr. Karamanoukian’s minimal incision technique places incisions that are significantly shorter than the full-length incision many providers use for convenient surgical access. This requires more precise dissection skill than a convenience-length incision but produces a dramatically less visible final scar. The incision is placed along the natural skin tension lines at the specific anatomical location and closed in deep dermal layers before skin closure to minimize widening during healing.
What is the difference between squeeze-out and complete capsule excision for lipoma removal?
Squeeze-out or enucleation — a common technique in non-specialist settings — applies external pressure to pop the lipoma through a small puncture without formal capsule dissection. It is faster but leaves residual capsular cells that produce recurrence in 5–10% of cases and does not provide a pathology specimen of adequate size and integrity for complete dermatopathologic evaluation. Complete capsule excision removes the lipoma and its entire surrounding fibrous capsule as an intact unit through a formal small incision. This technique produces consistently lower recurrence rates and allows complete specimen submission to the dermatopathologist.
Related Resources at Kare Plastic Surgery
Kare Plastic Surgery & Skin Health Center · Santa Monica · Near Montana Avenue
Schedule a Lipoma Consultation
Schedule a consultation with Dr. Raffy Karamanoukian, UCLA School of Medicine graduate and board-certified plastic surgeon — minimal scar lipoma removal, dermatopathology collaboration, and PPO insurance for medically indicated cases in Santa Monica and Los Angeles.