Always get the background of the Expert Opinion Physician. Typically it will be a Plastic Surgeon. If the doctor is not a recognized name in liposuction for lipedema or lipedema diagnosis, work to determine their level of expertise.
Expert opinion is not qualified.
Propose that the expert is not a “peer” in relation to the lipedema experts you’ve consulted with.
Not a published lipedema expert.
Does not have the experience that Dr. Schwartz has (hundreds of operations).
Lipedema is not a rare disease, it is a rarely diagnosed disease (underdiagnosed). See the Lipedema explanation notes.
Provide qualifications of all your providers (e.g., Dr. Iker and Dr. Schwartz).
The xx components of a lipedema diagnosis. I have more on this later in this document
- Stemmer sign negative
- Cuffing
- Ultrasound
Lipedema Stages: Stages 1 to 3 (see information below on stage 4).
Most providers don’t document the type, but there are five types.
See the Word Doc below for more detail.