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Lipoedema is a disorder of adipose tissue that occurs almost exclusively in women; the pathophysiology and aetiology are yet not well understood (Wold et al, 1951; Child et al, 2010; Fife et al, 2010). The condition was originally described in 1943 by Allen and Hines (Wold et al, 1951). The exact prevalence of lipoedema in women is unknown; its presence in the general female population has been estimated at 11% (Földi and Földi, 2012). It is a chronic, progressive condition that is associated with considerable morbidity, including discomfort, easy bruising and tenderness of the disproportionately enlarged legs, which may progress to highintensity pain and limited mobility, along planus, and complaints about general fatigue and physical impairment are often observed. In later stages, body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 (obesity) may also develop. Clinical characteristics of lipoedema include swelling and symmetrical enlargement of the lower limbs due to abnormal deposition of subcutaneous fat, with a sharp transition area of affected to unaffected tissue occasionally accompanied by over-hanging lipoedema tissue (Box 1). This is recognised as the typical ‘cuff-sign’, also called as ‘inverse shouldering’ or the ‘bracelet effect’. Lipoedema often co-exists with obesity, and obesity may be misdiagnosed, although Abstract