Buffalo hump
Cosmetic Surgery - Plastic Surgery - Aesthetic Medicine - Reconstructive Surgery
The buffalo hump is a subcutaneous mass of fat (lipoma)
that forms around the seventh cervical vertebra, thus located in the posterior
neck at the base of the neck. Buffalo hump should not be confused with accentuated
curvature of the spine or cyphosis. Its English name is Buffalo Hump.
Skin lipoma develops from fat cells or adipocytes of the hypodermis.
The buffalo hump represents a very large lipoma (fatty deposit) which is
bulky and awkward. The lipoma is composed of a proliferation of slow-growing
adipocytes.
It usually occurs in adulthood, without discrimination in terms of race
or sex, and probably slightly more often in the female.
The mass that will form the lipoma is situated deep inside the skin; it
is movable relative to the deeper tissue and without fascial or muscular
adherences. The skin over the lipoma is not inflammatory.
We can distinguish between lipoma, fatty deposits, abscesses and cysts containing
fluid using ultrasound.
The appearance of a buffalo hump may have a hormonal origin (adrenal cortical
glands), it can also be a side effect of treatment of HIV using protease
inhibitors. But the buffalo hump may also appear progressively in women
after menopause. The unsightly appearance of a buffalo hump sometimes makes
it difficult to wear certain clothing; especially any where the back of
the neck is exposed.
The buffalo hump, which is a localized fatty deposit, cannot be made to
disappear spontaneously simply through dieting. The removal of a buffalo
hump will be performed in cases of discomfort, pain or disfigurement but
because of the large size of the buffalo hump, the most effective procedure
is treatment by liposuction or lipoaspiration performed by a qualified plastic
surgeon.