Well defined shoulders are beautiful, but for some, stubborn back fat can settle in places like the dorsocervical fat pad, which is located between the shoulders and often referred to as a “buffalo hump.” SmartLipo of the buffalo hump is a great option to get rid of this stubborn back fat.
At Imagen, buffalo hump lipo is commonly added to arms lipo or bra fat lipo for seamless, natural looking results.
What a Buffalo Hump Actually Is
A buffalo hump is a pad of fat that collects at the base of the neck, across the top of the back. The clinical name for it is the dorsocervical fat pad. The important part is that it is fat — not bone, and not a curve in the spine — which is exactly why liposuction works on it. We cover the condition in more depth in our full guide to buffalo humps and what causes them.
Buffalo Hump or Dowager’s Hump?
These two get confused constantly, and the difference decides whether liposuction is the right answer at all.
A buffalo hump sits at the base of the neck and is built from fat, usually tied to metabolic or hormonal causes. A dowager’s hump sits lower down the spine and comes from curvature of the vertebrae, often linked to osteoporosis and ageing, and it typically brings a forward stooping posture with it.
Liposuction removes fat. It can reshape a buffalo hump, but it cannot change the position of a bone. If the shape on your upper back is coming from spinal curvature rather than a fat pad, a consultation will tell you that plainly and point you somewhere more useful.
What Causes It
Hormones are a common driver. Raised cortisol, as seen in Cushing’s syndrome, pushes fat toward the upper back and produces the familiar pad at the neckline. Long-term steroid medication can alter fat distribution the same way. Ordinary weight gain and posture contribute as well.
Because some of these causes are medical rather than cosmetic, it is worth having the underlying reason looked at by your physician alongside any treatment of the shape itself. Removing the fat addresses the contour; it does not address what put it there.
How Imagen Treats a Buffalo Hump
Treatment is SmartLipo through small incisions, done under local anesthesia so you stay awake and go home the same day. Because the area is small, buffalo hump lipo is commonly combined with arms liposuction or bra fat lipo so the upper body transitions smoothly rather than leaving a treated patch. It also pairs naturally with back liposuction when fat is sitting across a wider area. Individual results vary.
You can see what liposuction at Imagen involves, review what a procedure includes, or book a consultation to find out whether the fat pad on your upper back is treatable this way.
