After gaining 25 pounds in a little over a year, Erin Tarasuck of Canfield upped her workouts, but when the scales didn't move and her body didn't change, she did some research.

"My legs started to go numb and I was at the point, and I am very physical, that I really, with being a single mom of three boys, I have to work.  I had a decision and it was the health decision," Tarasuck said.

Turns out, Erin's weight gain was caused by a condition known as lipedema, a chronic disorder marked by an abnormal accumulation of fat cells that lead to a disproportionate appearance in the legs, calves, and arms.  In the United States, roughly 11% of Americans live with lipedema.

"We don't learn about it in medical school.  Most doctors don't know about it.  Most people don't know about it," said plastic surgeon Dr. David Amron of Beverly Hills.

Dr. David Amron is one of just a few surgeons in the United States who specializes in the treatment of lipedema, which can cause patients pain. 

Erin discovered him online and flew to California in February to undergo his lipedema liposuction procedure.  

"You go into patients and there are many times is a lot of dense scar tissue.  That is one thing that sets it apart from normal liposuction and the scarring tends to get worse as time goes on," said Dr. Amron.

Because the condition encompasses the entire leg, Dr. Amron works around the entire leg from ankle to buttocks to remove the fat cells. 

Immediately after Erin's surgery, she no longer felt any pain or numbness.  Two months out, she's down 2.5 inches in each leg.

"It is a different feeling.  Before, if you try to run or do different things, it was a heaviness.  It is almost like a weight lifted.  So, it is a very freeing thing," said Tarasuck.