What should you know about a painless lump under the skin?

A lump can arise from skin, a blocked follicle, fatty tissue, scar tissue, or another structure beneath the skin. It may feel soft, firm, mobile, or fixed. A boil can begin as a tender or painless swelling and later become red or filled with pus. A changing sore, scab, or pearly growth should be examined because Basal Cell Carcinoma can appear in several forms. Feeling the lump alone cannot establish its cause.

Arrange a medical examination for a new lump that persists, grows, returns, or interferes with movement. Note when it appeared, whether it moves, and any change in colour, texture, pain, or drainage. Do not squeeze, pierce, or repeatedly massage it, since this can irritate tissue or spread infection. A clinician may inspect the surface, feel the deeper tissue, and decide whether observation, imaging, sampling, or treatment such as Steroid Injection Into The Skin is appropriate.

Seek prompt care if the lump grows quickly, becomes hot or painful, drains pus or blood, or is surrounded by spreading redness. Fever, red streaks, numbness, weakness, or difficulty swallowing or breathing raises the urgency. A lump with a changing surface, persistent bleeding, or a sore that does not heal also needs medical review. Use Skin Lumps as a guide to related warning signs, but do not use a symptom page to diagnose yourself.

How deep does the lump feel? What features make you think it is benign or need testing? Should I measure or photograph it? Which changes mean I should return sooner, and is treatment necessary now?