Shiny bump on skin: what to know

A smooth, pearly or shiny bump may be a harmless surface change, but appearance alone cannot identify it. Milia are small, firm, pale bumps formed from trapped skin material. Folliculitis can create tender or itchy bumps around hairs, while heat rash tends to appear where sweat and friction collect. Keratosis Pilaris often feels rough and clusters around hair follicles. Lichen Planus can produce itchy, differently coloured raised lesions. A clinician considers the site, symptoms, growth pattern and whether the surface bleeds or crusts.

Take a clear photograph beside a familiar object for scale and note when the bump appeared. Avoid squeezing, scraping, freezing or applying strong acids at home, since this can cause infection or obscure the examination. Reduce friction and use gentle cleansing. If itching is prominent, ask a pharmacist or clinician whether Oral Antihistamine Treatment is appropriate for you. A clinician may simply monitor a stable lesion, recommend skin care, or discuss removal after identifying it.

Arrange a skin assessment if the bump is new and persistent, enlarging, repeatedly bleeding, crusting, ulcerating, painful, or changing in colour or shape. Seek prompt care for rapidly spreading redness, warmth, pus, fever, or severe tenderness. Urgent review is sensible when a bump near the eye affects vision or swelling is progressing. Cryotherapy (Lesion Removal) may be considered for selected diagnosed lesions, but treatment should follow identification.

Ask what features make the bump resemble Milia, Folliculitis or another lesion, whether a close examination is enough, and whether monitoring or removal is the safer next step.