Pockets of fat can pop up on our bodies throughout the years, and while most don’t warrant concern, others can cause our appearance to be thrown off. With weight gain and obesity, our bodies change in different ways. Visually, this can make us upset with what we see. One notable area prone to collecting fat is called the buffalo hump, an area in the back that can be quite difficult to tone.
A buffalo hump is located between the shoulders on your back. It can be caused by extra fat around your neck and upper part of your back. This condition is not necessarily dangerous. Tumors, cysts, and other growths can occasionally form on your shoulders, which can also create a similar hump. Before looking into how you can remove the hump on your back, talk to your doctor about any physical changes to your neck that may have caused it to appear.
Because having the hump can lead to other back issues and is just not fun to look at, you may be able to receive liposuction, an effective method for removing fat tissue that makes up the mass. The technique of liposuction to be used will depend on the particular treatment that you will need. One option is tumescent liposuction, which is the most ideal as it can be performed under local anesthesia. It is generally considered one of the safe alternatives to minimize blood loss. During this procedure, your surgeon will inject large volumes of epinephrine to shrink the fat cells beneath the skin. The cannula is inserted in the incision area to suction out the fat. With this version of liposuction, you will experience a more manageable recovery time and fewer overall side effects.
Ultrasonic-assisted liposuction is another next option that you might discuss with your surgeon. Unlike tumescent liposuction, it uses high-pitched sound waves to liquefy the fat beneath the skin before being removed. With the cannula, the fat is also suctioned out in this procedure. The benefit of this version is that it makes fat removal easier in hard-to-reach and dense places. Laser-assisted liposuction is very similar to ultrasonic-assisted liposuction. The main difference is that instead of using ultrasonic energy to melt the fat, it uses lasers. These procedures, like tumescent liposuction, only require local anesthesia to be done, so the recovery time is more manageable.
Talk to your doctor about your buffalo hump to see if liposuction is a possible procedure for removal or if you need to look at other nonsurgical procedures. In addition to having a more aesthetically pleasing upper back and lower neck contour with removal, you may alleviate neck and back discomfort often associated with the condition.