What should you know about a cyst below the skin?

A skin cyst is a sac beneath the skin that may contain keratin or other material. It can feel smooth, firm, or soft and may remain quiet for a long time. Some cysts have a small central opening, while others have no visible surface feature. A clinician may diagnose it by examining its shape, mobility, skin changes, and history.

If the cyst becomes inflamed or infected, it may enlarge, turn red, feel hot, become tender, or drain. An abscess is a collection of pus and is managed differently from a calm cyst, so squeezing it can worsen inflammation or spread infection.

Do not pierce, squeeze, or try to empty the lump with a needle. Keep the area clean and note changes in size, pain, redness, drainage, or recurrence. Arrange a dermatology assessment if the diagnosis is uncertain, the lump keeps returning, or it interferes with clothing, movement, or daily life.

A quiet cyst may be monitored. Depending on the findings, care can include an injection for inflammation, drainage when there is an abscess, or a procedure that removes the cyst wall. Removing only the contents may allow it to return.

Seek prompt assessment for rapidly increasing pain, spreading redness, warmth, pus, fever, red streaks, or a lump near the eye. Urgent care is appropriate if you feel very unwell or develop swelling that affects breathing or swallowing. A lump that is hard, fixed, repeatedly bleeding, or changing in an unusual way also needs examination.

Ask whether the lump appears to be a cyst or abscess, whether it needs observation or treatment, what recurrence means, how scarring will be managed, and which warning signs should bring you back sooner.