MELISSA TEO SURGERY &
THE SURGICAL ONCOLOGY CLINIC
SKIN LUMPS
You may notice a skin lump appearing on a part of your body - the lump may have been there over a period of time, sometimes appearing larger and sometimes shrinking.
The lump may also be hard or soft and can appear movable.
These are various types of skin lumps that one can have owing to changes in their body due to hormones, allergic reactions, the swelling of lymph nodes, or other reasons.
Image from Health Line
HOW TO DIAGNOSE?
Having a doctor examine the skin lump will allow him or her to diagnose accurately. The severity of a skin lump depends on the type of lump it is.
There are many kinds of lumps and bumps such as skin cysts, lipomas, haemangioma, dermatofibrosis and so on.
The most common skin lumps are skin cysts, typically appearing around the face, neck or torso. They usually grow slowly and are non-cancerous, but they may become uncomfortable when inflamed due to an infection.
WHAT CAUSES IT TO OCCUR?
Depending on the type of lump that you have, it may have appeared due to various reasons.
It may appear because of trauma, where an injury to the skin causes your skin to swell causing a lump. Typically, it should reduce in size after a couple of days.
Swollen lymph nodes may occur when you are having an infection, as your white blood cells that are fighting it may cause the glands in your arms and neck to be harder and more noticeable. These lymph nodes should slowly return to their normal size as your illness runs its course.
NEXT STEPS
Observe your lump and note if it swells and increases in size over a period of time, or if it enlarges and subsides at certain times of the day or after eating a certain type of food.
If swelling is still apparent and does not go down, do see a medical professional for their evaluation and advice.
ARE SKIN LUMPS PREVENTABLE?
Lumps are usually spontaneous and can appear suddenly. Typically, there is no sure-fire way of preventing a lump as they can appear due to a variety of reasons.
ARE SKIN LUMPS COMMON?
Skin lumps are extremely common and most of the time, it is not a cause of concern. If it does not subside by itself over a period of time, it is best to consult a medical professional to understand the nature of the skin lump and seek treatment if necessary.
TREATMENT
If you would like a skin lump to be removed as it is hurting or it has not stopped swelling, do see a medical professional. Most of the times, the doctor can do a simple excision biopsy of the lump either in the clinic, or in a Day Surgery suite.