What should you know about lump deep under skin?

A deep lump can feel firm, rubbery, soft, mobile, or fixed. Tenderness, warmth, redness, drainage, or a central opening can point toward inflammation or infection; a painless lump may still need review if it persists, enlarges, or changes. A boil is one possible explanation, while a skin cancer such as [Basal Cell Carcinoma](/conditions/basal-cell-carcinoma/) can sometimes appear as a persistent changing growth. That possibility does not mean a lump is cancer.

A clinician may examine the skin and nearby tissue and decide whether observation, imaging, drainage, removal, or a sample is appropriate. See [Skin Lumps](/symptoms/skin-lumps/) for related guidance.

Note when you first noticed the lump, whether it is growing, and whether pain, redness, discharge, fever, or injury accompanied it. Take an occasional reference photograph if the surface is visible. Keep the area clean and avoid squeezing, piercing, repeated rubbing, or trying to inject it; these actions can worsen inflammation and make assessment harder.

Arrange a routine appointment if it remains present, returns, or interferes with movement or clothing. Treatment depends on the cause. A dermatologist may sometimes use a [Steroid Injection Into The Skin](/treatments/injectables/intralesional-steroid-injection/) for a selected inflammatory or scar-related lesion, but it is not suitable for every lump.

Seek prompt medical care for a rapidly enlarging lump, severe pain, spreading redness, pus, fever, red streaks, or feeling faint or unwell. Arrange an assessment soon for a lump that bleeds, ulcerates, becomes fixed, or changes in colour or surface, even if it is not painful.

Ask what features make the lump more likely to be inflamed, cystic, scar-related, or another growth; whether it needs imaging or sampling; and which changes should trigger earlier review.