Skin Cancer Bumps: What to Know

A bump may arise from an inflamed hair follicle, heat rash, keratosis pilaris, lichen planus, or milia. Skin cancer can also present as a firm, shiny, scaly, crusted, or ulcerated lesion. The appearance alone cannot establish the cause. Doctors consider the bump’s duration, colour, surface, location, symptoms, and changes over time.

A skin bump is a possible presentation of skin cancer, but many bumps are benign. Avoid squeezing or scraping a lesion because this can cause irritation and make its behaviour harder to assess.

Take a clear photograph beside a ruler or another familiar object, record when you first noticed the bump, and watch for changes in size, shape, colour, crusting, bleeding, or tenderness. Use gentle cleansing and sun protection, and do not apply strong acids or home freezing products to an undiagnosed lesion. A dermatologist may use magnification and may recommend a biopsy. Treatment then depends on the diagnosis; cryotherapy is used for selected lesions, while an antihistamine may help itch from some non-cancerous causes.

Book a skin assessment for a bump that does not settle, repeatedly bleeds or crusts, becomes painful, develops an open sore, or changes in a way you cannot explain. Seek prompt review for a rapidly evolving lesion, one near the eye or another sensitive site, or a bump in a person with significant sun exposure or previous skin cancer. Urgent care is needed for heavy bleeding, spreading redness with fever, or severe swelling.

Ask what features make the bump concerning, whether dermoscopy or biopsy is appropriate, what alternatives were considered, and how to care for the site while waiting. Ask how soon the result will be available and which changes should trigger an earlier review.