When should you see a doctor about skin lumps?

Lumps can develop in the skin, a hair follicle or the tissue beneath it. A lipoma is often soft and mobile, an epidermoid cyst may have a central opening, and a pilar cyst commonly appears on the scalp. A dermatofibroma, keloid, or neurofibroma has its own typical pattern, but touch and appearance cannot establish a diagnosis alone.

Measure changes against a familiar object in a photograph, note tenderness and drainage, and record whether the lump follows an injury, piercing or surgery. Do not squeeze, pierce or cut it. A clinician may discuss observation, removal or an intralesional steroid injection depending on the cause and symptoms.

Seek prompt assessment for rapid growth, severe pain, spreading redness, warmth, pus, fever, ulceration or unexplained bleeding. Urgent care is appropriate for a lump causing breathing or swallowing difficulty, sudden major swelling, or severe symptoms. A scalp lump that repeatedly catches, bleeds or becomes inflamed also merits review.

Ask what tissue the lump seems to involve, whether imaging or sampling is needed, what changes matter, and whether removal is medically useful or mainly for comfort. Mention family history, previous scars, trauma and any recent change in size or firmness.