Doja Cat Lipedema: ‘I Thought It Was Cellulite’—The Symptoms Doctors Want You to Know
The singer says her leg fat “didn’t respond to diet or exercise”—doctors explain why
Grammy Award-winning singer Doja Cat is opening up about her health: In a recently posted TikTok video, the 30-year-old revealed that she thinks the excess fat in her legs, butt, knees and ankles is caused by a condition called lipedema. It seems she hasn’t confirmed her self-diagnosis with a medical professional, but that didn’t stop her from detailing the symptoms to her followers.
“I always thought that it was cellulite,” Doja Cat, whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, said in the video. “I wasn’t like, horrendously deeply overweight or anything. I was just building up all this ass and ankle and calf and knee and thigh…I had no clue [what it was], and nobody brought up lipedema to me.”
But what is lipedema? Below, we share everything you need to know about the condition, including its symptoms and the treatment options.
Woman's World Answers
What is lipedema?
Lipedema is a chronic condition that causes abnormal fat buildup in the arms and legs, and it can often result in mobility issues, chronic pain, bruising and psychological distress, says Mark Gruszynski MD, owner and plastic surgeon of Dr. Mark Plastic Surgery, adding that women are more likely to suffer than men.
“The affected legs and arms feel heavy, tender to the touch and bruise very easily,” he explains. “The fat also has a distinctive pebbly texture when you press on it, which is different from typical adipose [fat] tissue you’d typically see. It’s also typically distributed symmetrically, which helps distinguish it from other conditions.”
Lipedema symptoms and risk factors
According to Snehal Smart, MD, expert contributor with The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com, genetics, gender and hormones all play a role. “Symptoms can include pain, swelling, fatigue, easy bruising of the skin and fat in the arms and legs, but not in the hands and feet. The fat does not respond to diet or exercise.”
Doja Cat also noted that her knees, thighs, and ankles were noticeably larger, all of which are signs of lipedema.
“I’m looking at pictures of people with lipedema and it looks exactly like my legs,” she said in her TikTok video. “If you look at my knees, I had big-ass knees.”
In the video, Doja Cat reveals that her mother reportedly suffered from lipedema—a fact that increased her own risk for developing the condition. Hormonal shifts are also believed to play a role.
Lipedema treatment options
Currently, there is no cure for lipedema. At-home treatment options include compression garments, lymphatic drainage massages and anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen, but Dr. Gruszynski warns that while these options help ease symptoms, they don’t remove the fat that’s at the root of the problem.
The only way to do that, he says, is by undergoing lipedema surgery, which uses liposuction to remove the fat, leading to longer-lasting relief.
Doja Cat had liposuction back in 2023 to address what she now believes was lipedema.
“I got it on the back of my thighs, my hips and above my butt on my lower back. I left my butt alone…and I left my knees alone,” she explained. “Then my butt was huge…and then I just had these little thighs, and I had to go back in because I had way too much ass…It looked like I had a BBL [Brazilian Butt Lift], but I didn’t have a BBL. I had a reverse BBL.”
“So I went back in, got some out [fat removed from] my butt, and now I have [all this] extra skin,” the singer continued. “I love wearing tights, because it keeps all of that together. It’s a slippery slope, liposuction and things like that…[but]there’s a lot of things you can do to help with that.”
As of publication, Doja Cat hasn’t shared if she’s gone to see her doctor yet. For those struggling with lipedema symptoms, it’s recommended that you see a medical professional for diagnosis and treatment.
You can watch Doja Cat’s entire TikTok here.
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