What Is a Neck Lipoma?
A soft lump underneath the skin on the neck that can be moved slightly with just a little pushing may be a neck lipoma. Generally, a neck lipoma — which may also be referred to as an adipose tumor — is a group of fatty tissues that is usually located between the skin and the muscles in the neck. This slow-growing tumor typically is not painful unless it is close to nerves in the area or includes a large number of blood vessels. People may have more than one of these growths at the same time. In addition, lipomas can grow on other parts of the body; people get lipomas on their backs, arms, abdomen, shoulders, and thighs.
No one knows the causes of lipomas, although lipomas sometimes run in families. In addition, people between the ages of 40 and 60 are more likely to develop lipomas than people in other age groups. Women get neck lipomas more often than do men.
A neck lipoma typically is a benign tumor that is usually not considered serious. It can be important, though, for a person to make an appointment to see a physician. A lump like this also may be indicative of liposarcoma — a type of cancer. Although the chances of the lump being liposarcoma are small, it can be a good idea to make sure that that the lump isn’t a more serious medical condition.
Typically, a doctor will ask about symptoms and will conduct a physical exam. In addition, the physician may take a biopsy of the lipoma. He or she might also suggest that a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test, or an ultrasound be performed.
It usually is not necessary do anything medically about a neck lipoma. Some people prefer treatment because the lipoma is unsightly or because the benign tumor hurts. One method of treating neck lipoma is through steroid injections. The steroid injections will cause the lipoma to shrink, although the tumor probably will not completely disappear.
Another method of treating a neck lipoma is via liposuction. Like steroid injections, the lipoma probably will not completely go away. Liposuction procedures don’t remove all fatty tissues, but liposuction typically results in less scarring than surgery.
To reduce the possibilities that a neck lipoma will not grow back, a person might consider lipoma excision, or surgery, to remove the tumor. Lipomas rarely return after surgical removal. Only about five percent grow back after having been removed.
Written by Laura Evans
