Can You Feel Fat Deposits Under Skin? Identifying Lumps and Bumps

October 1, 2025 •

4 min read

About 1 in every 1,000 people will get a lipoma, a type of benign fatty tumor. The question, 'Can you feel fat deposits under skin?' often arises when a person discovers a lump and wonders if it is a simple fat pocket or something that requires medical attention.

Quick Summary

This article details how to identify and differentiate common lumps under the skin, including benign fat deposits (lipomas), based on characteristics like feel, mobility, and size. It explains the differences between subcutaneous fat, lipomas, and other growths like cysts or liposarcomas. Critical warning signs are also provided to help individuals know when a medical professional should evaluate a lump.

Key Points

Lipomas vs. Cysts: Lipomas are soft, movable, and made of fatty tissue, while cysts are typically firmer and less movable sacs containing keratin or fluid.
Visceral vs. Subcutaneous Fat: You can pinch and feel subcutaneous fat, but the more dangerous visceral fat surrounding internal organs cannot be felt.
Benign vs. Malignant: Most lumps are benign, but a hard, fixed, and rapidly growing lump could indicate a rare, malignant liposarcoma and requires immediate medical attention.
Self-Examination Guidelines: When examining a lump, check for its location, size, shape, consistency, mobility, and tenderness to provide a clear description to a healthcare provider.
When to See a Doctor: A healthcare professional should evaluate any new, painful, growing, or unusual lump to rule out serious conditions.
Lipoma Treatment: Benign lipomas often do not require treatment, but they can be surgically removed if they are painful or cosmetically bothersome.

Understanding Subcutaneous Fat vs. Localized Deposits

The human body has several types of fat. Subcutaneous fat is the layer of fat located directly under the skin, which is the type of fat you can typically pinch. It is soft, loose, and doughy, and while too much can affect your health, it is generally harmless. A specific, localized deposit of fat, however, feels and behaves differently. These distinct lumps are most often benign tumors called lipomas. Unlike the general subcutaneous fat layer, lipomas are encapsulated masses of fat cells that you can feel as a distinct, movable bump beneath the skin's surface. A different, more dangerous type of fat, visceral fat, cannot be felt at all because it is stored deep within the abdomen, surrounding internal organs.

What Are Lipomas?

A lipoma is a slow-growing, benign fatty lump that forms in the soft tissue, most often between the skin and the underlying muscle layer. They are the most common non-cancerous soft tissue tumor in adults. Lipomas can appear anywhere on the body, though they are most common on the back, torso, arms, shoulders, neck, and thighs. When you press on a lipoma, it feels soft and rubbery, and it typically moves easily with slight finger pressure. They are generally painless unless they grow large enough to press on nearby nerves or contain many blood vessels, a specific type called an angiolipoma. While the exact cause is not fully understood, risk factors include genetics and being between 40 and 60 years old.

Comparing Skin Lumps: Lipoma vs. Cyst vs. Sarcoma

It is crucial to be able to distinguish a lipoma from other types of lumps that can form under the skin. Cysts, for example, are also common and harmless but have different characteristics. Much rarer, but more serious, is a liposarcoma, a cancerous fatty tumor.


Feature	Lipoma (Benign Fatty Lump)	Cyst (Fluid-filled Sac)	Liposarcoma (Malignant Fatty Tumor)
Feel	Soft, doughy, rubbery	Firmer, sometimes tender	Firm
Mobility	Moves easily with slight pressure	Less mobile, fixed	Fixed to surrounding tissue
Size	Typically small (under 2 inches) but can grow	Variable	Can grow quite large, especially deep in the body
Growth Rate	Slow-growing	Variable, often slow	Can be slow or aggressive
Symptom	Usually painless, unless pressing on a nerve	Painful if infected or inflamed	Typically painless initially, but can cause symptoms as it grows
Under Skin	Often just below the skin's surface	In the deep epidermal layers	Tends to develop deeper in tissues

How to Examine a Lump Under the Skin

When you discover a lump, conducting a simple self-examination can help you understand its characteristics. However, this is not a substitute for a proper medical evaluation. A doctor will typically assess a lump using the following steps:

Site and Size: Note the precise location and measure its dimensions in centimeters.
Shape: Observe if it is round, oval, or irregularly shaped.
Consistency: Determine if it feels soft, firm, or hard when gently palpated.
Mobility: Gently press on the lump with your fingers to see if it moves easily under the skin or if it is fixed in place.
Tenderness: Check for any pain or tenderness when touching the lump.
Temperature: Feel if the skin over the lump is unusually warm.

If you find a new lump, monitoring its characteristics over time can provide useful information for your doctor. Note if it changes in size, shape, or tenderness.

When to See a Doctor

While most subcutaneous lumps are benign, it is essential to have any new or changing lump evaluated by a healthcare professional to rule out a more serious condition. You should consult a doctor if you observe any of the following:

The lump is growing rapidly over a period of weeks or months.
The lump is hard to the touch or does not move when pressed.
The lump is painful, especially without being pressed.
The overlying skin is red, warm, or swollen.
You experience other symptoms like fever, unexplained weight loss, or fatigue.

Diagnostic Procedures and Treatment

To diagnose a lump, a healthcare provider will typically perform a physical examination. If needed, they may order further tests to confirm the diagnosis and rule out more serious issues.

Imaging Tests: An ultrasound, MRI, or CT scan can provide a clearer image of the lump's internal structure and location.
Biopsy: In some cases, a small tissue sample is taken and examined under a microscope, which is the only definitive way to distinguish a benign lipoma from a rare liposarcoma.

For most lipomas, treatment is not necessary unless it is causing discomfort, is cosmetically bothersome, or is growing significantly. Treatment options can include surgical excision to remove the lump entirely or, in some cases, steroid injections or liposuction. Cysts can often be drained or surgically removed if they become bothersome or infected.

Conclusion

Yes, it is possible to feel certain types of fat deposits under the skin, most commonly in the form of benign lumps known as lipomas. These are typically soft, movable, and painless, unlike cysts, which may feel firmer and less mobile. While most of these bumps are harmless, it is impossible to be certain without professional medical evaluation. Paying attention to the characteristics of any new lump and seeking a doctor's opinion, especially if it is painful, hard, or growing quickly, is the safest course of action to ensure proper diagnosis and peace of mind.

For more in-depth information about skin lumps, including treatment specifics, consult resources like the Mayo Clinic's detailed page on lipomas.

Frequently Asked Questions

The most common cause of feeling a fatty lump under the skin is a lipoma, which is a benign, non-cancerous tumor made of fat cells that grows slowly between the skin and muscle layer.

You can often differentiate them by touch; a lipoma feels soft, rubbery, and moves easily under the skin, while a cyst is typically firmer, less mobile, and can sometimes feel tender.

Generally, most lipomas are painless. However, a subtype called an angiolipoma can be painful, especially if it contains many blood vessels or presses on a nerve. Any painful lump should be checked by a doctor.

No, visceral fat is stored deep within your abdominal cavity around internal organs and cannot be felt by touch. The fat you can pinch is subcutaneous fat.

While rare, a lump that could be cancerous (like a liposarcoma) is often firmer, grows rapidly, is fixed to underlying tissue, and may be accompanied by other symptoms. Always consult a doctor for a definitive diagnosis.

You should see a doctor if a lump is growing rapidly, feels hard or fixed in place, causes pain, or is accompanied by other unusual symptoms.

Diagnosis typically begins with a physical exam. If needed, imaging tests like an ultrasound, MRI, or a biopsy may be performed to confirm the nature of the lump.

Yes, some people have more than one lipoma. A hereditary condition called familial multiple lipomatosis can cause individuals to develop many lipomas.