A woman who was fat-shamed by trolls for having “tree trunk legs” has spent £20,000 on surgery after she realised she had the same condition as Love Island star. Emma Martin, 23, said her legs had always been chunky and out of proportion compared to the rest of her body.
Any type of exercise or diet control could not help her in getting her legs toned.
The trainee solicitor claimed that she was even told by her GP to “just lose weight” and “stop eating crisps and cake” when she tried to raise her concerns.
However, it was until she saw Love Island contestant Shaughna Phillips speaking about Lipoedema that she realised her condition might be medical.
According to the NHS, those diagnosed with Lipoedema see a painful build-up of fat and connective tissue in their legs, hips, bottom and sometimes arms and is not the same as obesity.
But with surgery not available on the NHS, Emma has been left to fork out £20,000 of her savings to get a similar procedure Shaughna had in Spain.
Emma has since had 10kg (1.5 stone) of fat drained from her legs at the clinic in Madrid that specialises in Lipoedema, giving her a new lease of life.
She first noticed the condition while she was a teenager where she was picked on for the size of her legs.
Emma, of Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, said: “I totally didn’t realise that it wouldn’t be anything other than me being fat until last year.
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“People always talk about the weight going to their stomach, I just thought my weight went to my legs.
“I used to get a few comments at school, people were like why are your legs bigger than mine and I got called tree trunk legs.
“I was so upset about it to my mum after school and asking her ‘why have I got much bigger legs than my friends?’
“At 17, the doctor told me to stop eating crisps, cake and chocolate. I was still quite small and 9 stone but they said I should just eat better.
“It made me feel like it was my fault, I just thought I was always bigger.
“I had a personal trainer after I left school. I got an awful lot smaller but my legs remained larger. I’d find basic exercises really tiring or get out of breath really quick.
“I’ve never watched Love Island, but I saw Shaughna Phillips’ tweet about her legs and they looked like mine.
“And that’s when I went down a rabbit hole of research.”
After doing a lot of research online and arranging private consultations, Emma was finally diagnosed with Lipoedema last year when she was 22.
The condition has an impact on both men and women but is more commonly found in women.
She had has flown to Madrid twice for preventive surgery and plans further surgery to remove the excess fat and tissue in June.
She has spent more than £14,000 and will undergo another two procedures costing £4,500 each after being left to feel the NHS didn’t recognise her condition.
Emma, who suffers with Lipoedema in her arms and legs, added: “My size is not my fault, people think I am having surgery for cosmetic reasons, but it is a preventative surgery. When you tell people, they think it’s the same as going to Turkey and getting your teeth done.
“My GP and the NHS were not all that helpful. In England we don’t really recognise it until it gets to the last stages where you’re immobile. Everywhere else is more advanced with it so my specialist was in Madrid and it took him five minutes to confirm it was Lipoedema.
“The only way to have it removed was through surgery. It’s a form of lyposuction, but it’s not the same method that they use to remove fat from the stomach. I’m probably one of the youngest that’s had it done.”
