It starts with a glance in the mirror. Maybe you’re trying on a new shirt, or you catch your profile in a shop window, and there it is—a stubborn, fleshy mound at the base of your neck. People call it a "buffalo hump," though the medical world prefers the term dorsocervical fat pad. It’s frustrating. It feels like your posture is permanently ruined.
Most people assume they just need to stand up straighter. If only it were that simple. While "tech neck" makes the bump look worse, the actual tissue is often a complex mix of fat accumulation, hormonal shifts, or side effects from medication. Honestly, if you want to know how do you get rid of a buffalo hump, you have to stop thinking of it as a single problem. It’s usually a symptom of something deeper happening inside your body.
What is This Thing, Anyway?
Before you start doing aggressive neck stretches, you need to understand what you’re actually touching. A buffalo hump isn't just "bad posture." It is a localized accumulation of adipose tissue. In plain English? It’s a fat deposit that has decided to set up camp right over your C7 vertebra.
Why there? Sometimes it’s Cushing’s Syndrome. This happens when your body is flooded with too much cortisol. It might be because of a tumor on the adrenal gland, or more commonly, long-term use of steroid medications like prednisone. Doctors like Dr. Atif Munir, a noted endocrinologist, often point out that when cortisol levels spike, the body starts redistributing fat in weird ways. It leaves the arms and legs and migrates to the face (moon face) and the upper back.
It's not just steroids, though. Some older HIV medications—specifically protease inhibitors—were famous for causing lipodystrophy, a condition where fat disappears from the face and moves to the back of the neck. Modern meds are better, but the legacy of this side effect remains a reality for many.
The Posture Myth vs. Reality
You’ll see a thousand TikToks claiming a 30-second stretch will "cure" your buffalo hump.
That’s mostly nonsense.
If you have a true fat pad, no amount of stretching will melt the fat. However, there is a grain of truth here. Many people have what’s called "kyphosis." This is a structural rounding of the spine. When your head leans forward—the classic "phone posture"—the base of your neck protrudes. This creates a "pseudo-hump." You might not actually have extra fat there, but the bone and soft tissue are pushed outward so aggressively that it looks identical to a buffalo hump.
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In these cases, you aren't trying to lose fat. You’re trying to remodel your skeletal alignment.
How Do You Get Rid of a Buffalo Hump With Medical Help?
If the hump is caused by medication, the first step is obvious but tricky: you have to talk to your doctor about switching prescriptions. Never, ever stop taking steroids or antiviral meds cold turkey. That’s dangerous. But often, once the underlying hormonal trigger is removed, the fat pad can shrink on its own.
What if it doesn't? Or what if it’s just genetics?
Liposuction is the heavy hitter here. Specifically, many surgeons use VASER lipo or tumescent liposuction for this area. The fat in a buffalo hump is notoriously fibrous. It’s tough. It’s not soft like belly fat. It’s woven through with connective tissue, which makes it feel firm. A surgeon uses ultrasound energy to break up those tough fibers before vacuuming the fat out.
It works. It really does. But here is the catch: if the underlying cause (like high cortisol or weight gain) isn't fixed, the hump can actually grow back. It’s not a "one and done" if your hormones are still out of whack.
Non-Surgical Options and Lifestyle Shifts
Maybe you aren't ready for surgery. That's fair.
CoolSculpting is sometimes tossed around as an option. It’s non-invasive. It freezes fat cells. However, many practitioners are hesitant to use it on a buffalo hump because the area is so small and the fat is so dense. It’s hard to get a good "suction" with the CoolSculpting applicator on that specific curve of the neck.
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Then there’s Kybella. You might know it as the injection that gets rid of double chins. It uses deoxycholic acid to destroy fat cells. While it is FDA-approved for the chin, some doctors use it "off-label" for small buffalo humps. It takes multiple sessions. It swells like crazy. You’ll look like you were stung by a bee for a week. But for a small, soft fat pad, it can be a needle-based alternative to surgery.
Diet and Weight Loss
Let's be real for a second. If you carry extra weight generally, a buffalo hump might just be where your body prefers to store it. We all have "first on, last off" spots. For some, it’s the hips. For others, it’s the upper back.
Standard weight loss—caloric deficit, high protein, resistance training—will reduce the size of the hump if it's general obesity-related fat. But you cannot "spot reduce." You can’t do neck crunches to burn fat specifically off your C7 vertebra. Biology doesn't work that way.
Exercises That Actually Matter
If your issue is postural (pseudo-hump), you need to strengthen the "posterior chain."
Most of us have weak lower traps and rhomboids. Our chests are too tight from leaning over keyboards. This pulls the shoulders forward and thrusts the neck out.
Chin Tucks: This is the gold standard. Sit up straight. Without tilting your head up or down, pull your chin straight back, as if you’re making a double chin. You’ll feel a stretch at the base of your skull. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times. It feels silly. It looks weirder. But it restrengthens the deep cervical flexors that keep your head over your shoulders.
Scapular Squeezes: Imagine there is a pencil between your shoulder blades. Try to pinch it. Hold. Release. Do this while you’re stuck in traffic or sitting in a Zoom meeting.
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Wall Angels: Stand with your back against a wall. Try to keep your butt, upper back, and the back of your head touching the surface. Raise your arms up and down like you’re making a snow angel. If you can’t keep your arms against the wall, your chest is too tight.
When to See a Specialist
If your buffalo hump appeared suddenly, or if it’s accompanied by muscle weakness, easy bruising, or purple stretch marks on your stomach, stop reading this and call an endocrinologist.
These are classic signs of Cushing’s. This isn't a cosmetic issue; it's a metabolic one. A simple 24-hour urine cortisol test or a saliva test can tell you if your hormones are the culprit. Dealing with a buffalo hump is ten times easier when you aren't fighting your own internal chemistry.
Also, watch out for "dowager’s hump." This is related to osteoporosis. If the bones in your spine are thinning, they can develop micro-fractures that cause the spine to collapse forward. This isn't fat. It’s bone. You’ll need a bone density scan (DEXA) and potentially Vitamin D and calcium supplementation, or meds like bisphosphonates.
Final Action Steps
You don't have to live with a buffalo hump, but you do have to be strategic about getting rid of it.
- Audit your meds: Check if anything you take (steroids, certain antidepressants, or antivirals) lists weight gain or fat redistribution as a side effect.
- Get a blood panel: Check your cortisol and glucose levels. Rule out the "inside" problems first.
- Document your posture: Have someone take a photo of you from the side when you aren't "trying" to stand straight. If your head is inches in front of your chest, start the physical therapy route.
- Consult a plastic surgeon: If the hump is firm and doesn't move with weight loss, ask about VASER liposuction. It is often the most effective way to physically remove the fibrous fat tissue.
- Fix your workstation: Raise your monitor. If you’re looking down at a laptop all day, you are literally training your body to grow a hump to support the weight of your head.
The process takes time. Whether it’s surgery or postural correction, you’re trying to undo years of physical or chemical patterns. Stay consistent, and the hump will eventually recede.