Our Editorial Standards

We are an independent, non-clinical editorial team. That means our credibility rests entirely on the quality of our sourcing. We take that seriously.

Before writing any page, we read the primary literature — peer-reviewed studies, consensus guidelines, and the output of major medical institutions. We do not rely on secondary health websites or unattributed claims. When evidence is uncertain, we say so.

We prioritise sources in this order:

1. 1 Clinical guidelines and consensus statements — the US Standard of Care for Lipedema (Herbst et al., Phlebology 2021) and the 2026 Delphi Consensus (Nature Communications) are our primary clinical references.
2. 2 Peer-reviewed studies — indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE. We favour systematic reviews and large cohort studies; we note when evidence is limited to case series or expert opinion.
3. 3 Major medical institutions — NHS, Lipedema Foundation, and national specialist societies.
4. 4 Patient surveys with published methodology — e.g. the 707-patient Aday et al. survey (Vascular Medicine 2024) for symptoms and diagnostic delay data.

We do not cite press releases, anecdotal social-media posts, or commercial content as evidence for clinical claims.

Every substantive clinical claim carries an inline citation linked to the primary source. We use the author–year format in text and list full references at the foot of each page. External links open in a new tab.

We check every outbound link at build time. Dead links are replaced before publication.

Each article is written by one member of the editorial team and reviewed by a second before publication. The reviewer checks:

• Every factual claim traces to a cited source.
• Claims accurately reflect what the cited source actually says (no overstating evidence).
• Uncertainty is presented honestly — "studies suggest" not "studies prove."
• No content implies diagnosis or prescribes treatment.

We do not currently have a clinical medical reviewer. We state this plainly. Our editorial process is designed to compensate: we cite the primary literature, we flag uncertainty, and we direct readers to qualified professionals for personal health questions.

Lipedema research is moving fast. We commit to:

• Reviewing pages marked for quarterly update (GLP-1 coverage, statistics, staging) every three months.
• Updating any page within 30 days of a significant new guideline or landmark study.
• Displaying a "Last updated" date on every page.

When we get something wrong, we correct it promptly and transparently. We do not quietly delete errors. Significant corrections are noted at the top of the relevant page with a brief explanation of what changed and why.

Found an error? Please contact us with the page URL, the claim you believe is wrong, and any evidence you have. We read every message.