What Is a Skin Lump? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

The term “skin lump” may be vague — and the symptom can stem from many causes. By decoding how it feels and looks, you can gain some clarity about what’s going on, gain peace of mind, and work out how to move forward with treatment (as well as determine whether you even need to treat it).

“When patients complain about lumps, it usually refers to something on the skin that feels elevated or something under the skin that elevates it,” says Lucia Seminario-Vidal, MD, PhD, a board-certified dermatologist at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa, Florida.

Signs and Symptoms of Skin Lumps

Skin lumps can have many causes that affect how they look or feel. The following are some signs and symptoms that describe a skin bump, says Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH, a cutaneous oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Keep in mind that a single lump can’t match all the descriptions on this wide-ranging list.

• A lump that feels soft, mushy, or squishy
• A lump that feels mobile
• A lump that’s fixed
• A firm lump
• A lump that feels hard
• A lump that’s red and inflamed
• A painful lump
• A lump that has a central pore
• A lump that looks well-defined under the skin
• A lump that has an irregular contour
• A lump that is growing

Causes and Risk Factors of Skin Lumps

A skin lump is a specific symptom of a medical condition, so the cause behind it depends on exactly what the condition is.

Skin lumps can be divided into three different categories, says Dr. Seminario-Vidal:

• Benign The lump is noncancerous and may not require any treatment.
• Inflammatory or Infectious The lump requires treatment but is not life-threatening.
• Malignant These are cancerous and would require treatment in the short term (rather than a wait-and-see approach).

Skin Tag

Cyst

This is one of the most common causes of a skin lump, says Dr. Hartman, and they often appear on the face or back. “These are smooth and mobile, are oval with a defined border, and they aren’t entirely squishy, but they’re not firm and hard either,” she explains.

Wart

Dermatofibroma

Lipoma

Enlarged Lymph Node

• Strep throat
• Measles
• Ear infections
• Dental abscess
• Mononucleosis
• Skin infections
• Human immunodeficiency virus

Seminario-Vidal adds that lymph nodes in the groin may also enlarge and become inflamed due to extreme exercise, such as participating in a long endurance event like a marathon. You should seek medical attention if your lymph nodes feel or appear swollen.

Diagnosis of Skin Lumps

Your dermatologist can perform a physical exam to diagnose your skin lump. If they note something concerning (for example, a skin lump or bump growing), they will likely recommend a biopsy, says Seminario-Vidal.

A dermatologist can usually take the biopsy, depending on the lump’s location or how deep it is under the skin. In areas where the skin is particularly thick, like the back, a plastic surgeon may have to open up the skin under local anesthesia, she says. If the lump is extremely deep, an individual may need general anesthesia for the biopsy.

Treatment of Skin Lumps

Many skin lumps won’t resolve without treatment. Often, however, the lump is not dangerous and will not need treatment, if it does not cause functional problems.

Skin Tag

• Snip excision
• Cautery
• Cryosurgery, or the use of a cold liquid, like liquid nitrogen, to freeze the skin tag

Cyst

Removal is necessary to get rid of a cyst, says Hartman. She advises against taking matters into your own hands. “I tell people not to pop them. Squeezing it may press out keratin, but that does not eliminate the problem and may make it worse by causing more inflammation,” she says.

Wart

Dermatofibroma

Lipoma

Enlarged Lymph Node

You don’t need to treat an enlarged lymph node itself, but treatment may be necessary for the underlying cause. If lymph nodes have swollen because you have a viral infection like a cold, they should return to their standard size once you recover, says Hartman.

That said, if you find an enlarged lymph node that’s 1 centimeter or less in diameter, is soft, and you can move it around, that’s less concerning, says Seminario-Vidal. Doctors may take a wait-and-see approach and follow up to make sure it’s gone down.

Integrative and Complementary Approaches

For many lumps, there is little you can do at home. But a warm compress on a red and angry cyst can relieve inflammation and ease soreness, says Hartman.

Lifestyle Changes and Prevention of Skin Lumps

Prognosis of Skin Lumps

The outlook of a skin lump depends on the cause and whether it is benign, potentially cancerous, or cancerous. “When patients notice a lump, they’re often understandably concerned, but most are benign,” says Hartman.

But even people with cancerous skin lumps can improve their outlook if they seek treatment before it has a chance to spread. The outlook for cancers that cause skin lumps, including lymphoma, depends on:

• The type of lymphoma
• The person’s age
• The person’s overall health status

How long skin lumps stick around and the recovery time completely depend on what has caused the skin lump and whether removal is necessary.

Sometimes, Hartman may suggest leaving a cyst alone if the location of the lump, such as the face, means that treatment could be more disfiguring than the cyst itself. Surgeons also typically do not remove lipomas, adds Hartman, unless they are large, growing, or bothersome.

Complications of Skin Lumps

Most benign skin lumps are not harmful, says Hartman. However, she says that skin tags, cysts, and lipomas can become bothersome if they are on visible areas like the face. They may also catch on clothing or develop inflammation and tenderness.

Trying to drain or remove a skin lump at home risks complications like bleeding and infection.