Inside Lipedema Team’s Multidisciplinary Approach to Lipedema Care

For many women diagnosed with Lipedema, the healthcare journey can feel fragmented.

One provider focuses on surgery. Another discusses compression. A physical therapist addresses recovery. A nutritionist talks about inflammation. Patients are often left trying to connect the dots themselves while navigating a condition that remains widely misunderstood.

Lipedema Team was built around a different idea.

As one of North America’s first fully integrated Lipedema care centers, Lipedema Team brings together surgeons, physical therapists, rehabilitation specialists, nutrition support, compression therapy, and long term patient care within a single coordinated model. Rather than treating Lipedema through isolated appointments and disconnected recommendations, their goal is to create a comprehensive experience that supports patients through every stage of their journey.

As Presenting Sponsor of the Lipedema Summit, Lipedema Team is helping bring that philosophy to a global audience while advancing education around what multidisciplinary Lipedema care can look like.

Founded by plastic and reconstructive surgeons Dr. Max Sirota Toporek and Dr. José Carlos Martínez López, Lipedema Team was created after both physicians recognized a major gap in Lipedema care. Despite years of medical training and advanced surgical education, they saw firsthand how few providers truly understood the condition and how difficult it was for patients to find coordinated, comprehensive care. Their vision was to build a center where patients could access not only surgical expertise, but also the rehabilitation, education, and long term support needed to manage a chronic disease successfully.

Today, patients travel from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and beyond to work with a team that understands Lipedema as far more than a surgical condition.

A Model Built Around the Patient

One of the defining characteristics of Lipedema Team is that their care model extends far beyond the operating room.

Patients often arrive carrying years of frustration, failed weight loss attempts, chronic pain, mobility limitations, inflammation, swelling, and unanswered questions. Addressing those challenges requires more than a single treatment plan.

Lipedema Team’s multidisciplinary approach combines surgical care with physical therapy, rehabilitation, compression therapy, nutrition, and ongoing patient education. Their philosophy is that every aspect of a patient’s health influences outcomes, from inflammation and mobility to recovery, mental wellbeing, and long term lifestyle habits.

Rather than focusing solely on symptom management, the team works to help patients better understand their condition and build sustainable strategies for living with Lipedema over the long term.

This patient centered model has become one of the reasons Lipedema Team has earned recognition throughout the Lipedema community and why patients often seek them out after struggling to find answers elsewhere.

More Than Surgery

While Dr. Max and Dr. José are internationally recognized for their work in Lipedema surgery, both are strong advocates for conservative care and long term disease management.

Throughout the Lipedema Summit, they will discuss topics ranging from foundational Lipedema education and conservative treatment strategies to surgical planning, recovery, revision cases, and the future of Lipedema care. A recurring theme throughout their work is that surgery should never exist in isolation. Nutrition, compression, movement, rehabilitation, and patient education all play an important role in helping patients achieve the best possible outcomes.

Their sessions reflect the same philosophy that guides their clinical work every day: informed patients make better decisions, and successful outcomes require a comprehensive approach rather than a single intervention.

Attendees will hear from Lipedema Team during sessions including Foundations of Lipedema Care, Conservative Treatment Strategies Across Disease Stages, Exploring Foundations of Lipedema Surgery, The Multidisciplinary Model in Lipedema Surgery, Different Approaches to Lipedema Surgery, Revision Cases in Lipedema, When Not to Operate, and discussions focused on the future of long term Lipedema management.

The Critical Role of Rehabilitation and Recovery

A major part of what makes Lipedema Team unique is the emphasis they place on rehabilitation and recovery.

Nicole Steiner, Physical Therapy Lead at Lipedema Team, specializes in vascular and lymphatic rehabilitation, movement therapy, compression therapy, and post surgical recovery. She plays a key role in helping patients navigate conservative treatment, surgical preparation, rehabilitation, and long term care while supporting patients throughout every stage of recovery.

Her work reflects an important principle within the Lipedema Team model: surgery is only one chapter in a much larger journey.

At the Summit, Nicole will share her expertise during Physiotherapy in Lipedema: From Inflammation to Long Term Care, where attendees will learn more about the role of rehabilitation, lymphatic health, movement, compression, and recovery in helping patients maintain long term results and improve quality of life.

Bringing Their Expertise to the Lipedema Summit

The Lipedema Team sessions span nearly every stage of the patient journey, from diagnosis and conservative care to surgery, recovery, rehabilitation, and long term management.

Whether you are newly diagnosed, considering surgery, supporting a loved one, or simply looking to better understand the condition, their conversations offer valuable insights into the realities of living with Lipedema and the many factors that influence successful outcomes.

Most importantly, their sessions reflect a broader vision for the future of Lipedema care, one that brings together multiple specialties, prioritizes patient education, and recognizes that every individual’s journey is unique.

Visit Lipedema Team at the Lipedema Summit

As Presenting Sponsor of the Lipedema Summit, Lipedema Team is helping make education, awareness, and expert conversations accessible to thousands of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals around the world.

Visit their virtual booth to learn more about their multidisciplinary approach, meet the team, and access additional educational resources.

Booth:
https://event.lipedemasummit.com/sponsors/lipedema-team/

Website:
https://www.lipedema.team/