Love Island’s Shaughna Phillips gets candid about her lipoedema surgeries
Shaughna Phillips has opened up about her experience with lipoedema.
In September 2020, the former Love Island star underwent liposuction on her legs to treat her diagnosis with lipoedema.
According to the NHS, lipoedema is a chronic condition that causes abnormal fat accumulation in the legs, hips, and occasionally in the arms.
Now, a few years on from her health journey, Shaughna has chosen to reflect on her experience with lipoedema.
Yesterday, the 30-year-old took to her Instagram stories to open up to her fans in a Q&A. During the session, one follower quizzed how she manages her symptoms now.
“I had 2 lipoedema removal surgeries. One surgery for my lower legs and one for my thighs. Painful but BEST thing I've ever done. Completely changed my legs and my confidence,” Shaughna praised.
“I have loose skin of course, I was advised I would have that from my surgeon but that is no issue for me! I think people think I have loose skin on my legs from my weight loss but it's actually from my surgeries,” she explained.
“My symptoms are manageable, I still have some nerve pain if I jump or run which is why I stopped running because it did get quite painful. I also still bruise extremely easily and anything with a high salt content/ sugar/ alcohol will inflame my legs. I can definitely manage it better now I'm aware of it though,” she added.
Shaughna – who is a mum to her one-year-old daughter Lucia – went on to recall that her stint on Love Island made her realise that she had lipoedema.
“Honestly, going on Love Island was how I discovered it. I always knew my legs were different, and it used to baffle me but I never knew there was a name for it,” she detailed.
“I weighed 9st and was a size 6 top and a size 14 bottom. Looking back it seems so obvious something wasn't right, but lipoedema has / had little to no awareness. Getting the diagnosis from my surgeon changed my life,” she concluded.
