Do lipomas stay pretty close to the surface or are they known to go deep. if they are big enough to cause pain should you be able to see them?

Lipoma: A lipoma is a slow-growing, fatty lump that's most often situated between your skin and the underlying muscle layer. Often a lipoma is easy to identify because it moves readily with slight finger pressure. It's doughy to touch and usually not tender. You may have more than one lipoma. Lipomas can occur at any age, but they're most often detected during middle age.

Not necessarily: They can be superficial or deep. Sometimes the deeper ones which you cannot see hurt more due to impingement or involvement of nerves. Sometimes the lipoma can be located underneath the muscle making it more difficult to remove. There are some genetic conditions which involve having many painful lipomas (ie: adiposa dolorosa, madelung's).