Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1777612276728pexels-polina-tankilevitch-5256326.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Photo by Polina Tankilevitch, Pexels </span></span></span></div><p>No matter how much she exercised or dieted, Aurelie Hamon&#x27;s legs have stubbornly amassed fat since adolescence, regularly causing her pain.</p><p>&quot;Walking for more than 20 minutes was impossible without feeling extremely heavy and a tightening sensation,&quot; the 47-year-old French sales representative told AFP.</p><p>Doctors kept telling her to <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/12/09/20/11-minutes-of-exercise-a-day-may-help-counter-the-effects-of-sitting">get more exercise </a>and eat less.</p><p>&quot;But I had tried every diet imaginable -- even my personal trainer could not understand why I wasn&#x27;t losing weight,&quot; Hamon said.</p><p>Then one day on social media, she stumbled across women describing something that resonated with her: a chronic condition called lipoedema.</p><p>This common but little-known condition involves an abnormal build-up of fat -- usually in the legs but sometimes in arms -- that is not linked to being <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/7/11/the-hidden-cost-of-obesity-ph-risks-losing-its-workforce-before-it-grows-up-1445">overweight.</a></p><p>It can cause pain that makes an active daily life difficult, a disproportionate body shape, swelling, and skin that bruises easily.</p><p>Research has suggested lipoedema could affect as many as one in 10 women worldwide, however many may not realise it because the condition is often misdiagnosed.</p><p>And because it almost exclusively affects women, lipoedema has been compared to endometriosis and other female health problems long overlooked by a historically male-focused medical establishment.</p><p>Lipoedema has no known cause, but hormones are believed to play an important role because it can be triggered or made worse during puberty, pregnancy or menopause.</p><p>Genetic and inflammatory factors are also thought to play a role.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;YEARS OF MEDICAL UNCERTAINTY&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Lipoedema was first described in 1940, but only recognised as a disease in France in 2018.</p><p>For Hamon, it took a year to have her diagnosis confirmed by a vascular specialist.</p><p>&quot;On average, patients are diagnosed after 20 years of medical uncertainty,&quot; said Pascale Etchebarne, the head of a French association dedicated to the condition.</p><p>Patients can suffer from eating disorders or depression because &quot;they feel intense guilt -- they&#x27;re told to eat better, to make an effort,&quot; she told AFP.</p><p>&quot;Except they&#x27;re already doing that, with no result.&quot;</p><p>In a paper published in the journal Nature Communications earlier this year, an international group of researchers lamented that the medical community still had little understanding of the condition.</p><p>&quot;Lipoedema remains underdiagnosed,&quot; they wrote.</p><p>The condition is often confused with obesity or tissue swelling called lymphedema, &quot;leading to misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment,&quot; the paper added.</p><p>French angiologist Michele Cazaubon said that conservative treatment includes &quot;an anti-inflammatory diet, regular physical activity, wearing compression clothing, and lymph drainage&quot;.</p><p>Denise, a 34-year-old diagnosed with stage 1 lipoedema, followed this protocol.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;ve cut out alcohol and sugar, I eat an anti-inflammatory diet and drink 1.5 litres of water a day,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;I walk 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day and do three hours of strength training a week. Since starting, the swelling in my legs has gone down and I no longer have any bruising.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>EXPENSIVE LIPOSUCTION </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>For serious cases, therapeutic liposuction can be an option.</p><p>However several operations are often needed -- and the expensive surgery is not covered by most national healthcare services.</p><p>After getting <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/focus/03/28/17/alamin-paano-masisigurong-ligtas-ang-pagdadaanang-plastic-surgery">liposuction</a> on her arms in Germany, Hamon launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise 29,000 euros ($34,000) for surgery on her thighs and calves.</p><p>Margo Chinea, a 25-year-old in France, had to take out a loan for her operation. &quot;In total, it cost me 13,000 euros,&quot; she said.</p><p>But the surgery, which is different to cosmetic liposuction, can improve people&#x27;s quality of life.</p><p>&quot;I no longer have any pain in my arms and I&#x27;ve gained mobility,&quot; Hamon said.</p><p>The Nature Communications paper said that &quot;lipoedema reduction surgery should be considered when there is potential for a positive impact&quot;.</p><p>Last year, Etchebarne&#x27;s association submitted an application to France&#x27;s health authorities for lipoedema treatment to be covered.</p><p>However the application was rejected due to a lack of &quot;sufficient data&quot;.</p><p>The French National Authority for Health told AFP it was waiting for &quot;the results of ongoing scientific studies&quot;.</p><p>Etchebarne remains hopeful.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s like endometriosis, for which this took 20 years. For us, it might take 10,&quot; she said.</p><p>She plans to submit a new application in June 2028 -- once more scientific research has been conducted.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MORE STORIES ON HEALTH:</strong><br/><strong></strong><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/4/10/chinese-slimmers-trade-lost-fat-for-beef-1126">Chinese slimmers trade lost fat for beef</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/1/8/study-shows-how-fast-kilos-return-after-ending-weight-loss-drugs-1057">Study shows how fast kilos return after ending weight-loss drugs</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/health-beauty-fashion/2026/1/7/new-weight-loss-hack-woman-loses-29-pounds-playing-pickleball-1419">New weight loss hack? Woman loses 29 pounds playing pickleball </a> </div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/svBhSrhEhI4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><strong></strong></div>

<p>Lipoedema is a common but little-known condition involves an abnormal build-up of fat -- usually in the legs but sometimes in arms -- that is not linked to being overweight.</p>

Lipoedema is a common but little-known condition involves an abnormal build-up of fat -- usually in the legs but sometimes in arms -- that is not linked to being overweight.

Women reveal battle with little-known chronic leg fat condition

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Women reveal battle with little-known chronic leg fat condition

Agence France-Presse

Published May 01, 2026 01:15 PM PHT

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lipoedema

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women's health

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