What should you know about raised lump under skin?

A tender, warm lump containing pus can occur with a boil. A soft or mobile lump may have a benign explanation, while a firm lesion attached to the skin can have a different cause. Some skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma, can appear as a persistent raised lesion, sometimes with bleeding or crusting; a lump alone cannot identify cancer.

Check whether it is under the skin or arising from the surface, whether it moves, and whether it has a central opening, colour change, crust, or discharge. Do not squeeze it, because pressure can worsen inflammation and spread infection.

Keep the area clean, avoid repeated rubbing, and take a dated photograph to compare changes. Arrange a clinical examination for a new, persistent, enlarging, or unexplained lump. Treatment depends on the diagnosis and may include drainage, removal, observation, or a steroid injection into the skin for selected inflammatory lesions; injections should only follow an examination.

Seek prompt care for rapid enlargement, severe pain, fever, spreading redness, pus, or difficulty moving the nearby body part. Arrange timely dermatology review if the lump repeatedly crusts or bleeds, forms a sore that does not heal, or changes in colour or outline.

Ask what tissue the lump seems to involve, whether it needs imaging or a sample, and which changes should prompt urgent review. Discuss whether squeezing, drainage, injection, or removal could affect diagnosis or healing.