What should you know about a pea sized lump under the skin?

A smooth, mobile lump that sits beneath normal-looking skin can behave differently from a hard, fixed, or surface-crusted lesion. Tenderness, warmth, redness, drainage, or rapid enlargement can point toward inflammation or infection. A boil is a painful infection around a hair follicle and may become softer as it fills. Some lumps are harmless but still deserve an examination if they persist or change. A skin lump itself does not identify cancer; basal cell carcinoma more often appears as a changing skin lesion, such as a pearly or scaly spot that may bleed.

Do not squeeze, puncture, or repeatedly massage the area, because this can worsen inflammation and introduce bacteria. Take a clear photo beside a familiar object, note its location and approximate size, and record whether it is painful, itchy, mobile, or attached to the skin. Keep the area clean and avoid friction. Arrange a clinician review if it remains present, returns, or interferes with movement. Treatment depends on the diagnosis; an inflamed lesion may sometimes be considered for a steroid injection into the skin, while an infected lump may need a different approach.

Seek prompt medical care if the lump becomes rapidly larger, very painful, hot, markedly red, or starts draining pus, especially with fever or feeling unwell. Arrange assessment for a lump that bleeds, forms a persistent crust, changes in colour, or does not settle. Urgent care is appropriate when swelling affects the eye, mouth, breathing, or hand function.

Could this be a cyst, boil, or another type of skin lump? Does its depth, mobility, or surface need examination? Should it be photographed or checked again? What symptoms would mean I should return sooner?