Small lumps on the skin

A lump may sit in the top layer of skin or feel deeper beneath it. A blocked pore, ingrown hair, cyst, or inflamed follicle can produce a local bump. A red, hot, tender lump with pus may be a boil. A firm or rough growth that bleeds, crusts, ulcerates, or changes needs professional assessment; those features are warning signs, not proof of a specific condition.

Consider its timing and pattern: one new bump after friction differs from several recurring lumps, and a stable small mark differs from a lesion that changes quickly. A clinician can inspect, palpate, and decide whether testing is useful.

Leave the lump alone rather than squeezing, cutting, or applying harsh acids. Wash gently, reduce friction, and use a clean dressing if it opens or drains. Note its location, approximate size, colour, tenderness, and any change over time. Skin Lumps and Boils provide useful background. Intralesional steroid injection is a specialist option for selected inflammatory lesions, not a general treatment for every bump.

Arrange a routine appointment for a lump that remains, grows, returns, feels fixed or unusually firm, or changes on its surface. Seek prompt care for spreading redness, marked warmth, severe pain, fever, or pus with feeling unwell. A bleeding or non-healing lesion should be examined. Basal cell carcinoma is one condition clinicians may consider for certain changing skin lesions, but appearance alone cannot confirm it.

Ask whether the lump appears to arise from skin, a follicle, or deeper tissue. Ask if observation is reasonable, what signs would change that plan, and whether a swab, ultrasound, or biopsy is appropriate. Ask how to protect the area and whether any treatment could alter its appearance before diagnosis.