The disease apparently progresses in its course through 3 different stages.
- Stage 1. “Orange peel skin” or cellulitis
- Stage 2. “Mattress skin”, coarsely nodular with larger dimples
- Stage 3. Large, deforming folds of fat
Even though the cause of lipoedema has not yet been ascertained, medical experts
suggest that female hormones might play a major role for this disorder. Thereby
it has often been observed that lipoedema originates or aggravates at puberty, following
pregnancy and also during menopause.
Experts have not ruled out genetic reason as one of the causes of lipoedema.
