What do bumps on the skin mean?

Skin is the outermost protective layer and the largest organ of the body. It guards our organs against any infection, or injury. Main function of skin is to regulate and maintain the body temperature. Skin also stores water and some amount of fat. Due to any abnormality, sometimes raised protrusions are observed on or under the skin. These outgrowths appear as swollen structures and can be both hard and soft to touch. They are termed as lumps or bumps in the skin.

Bumps and lumps can also be categorized as tumors, or cysts.

If tumor formation occurs, it might lead to cancer. Tumor is an abnormal tissue mass. If tumor cells or abnormal cells do not expand, they are considered benign but if they continue to grow or spread, they are supposed to be malignant cells. Stages of tumor development are:

The abnormal outgrowth of cells on or under the skin can also indicate the formation of cysts. Cysts are sack like closed structures filled with pus, fluid, air or any other material. Sometimes, cyst can be hard and painful. These are non-cancerous pockets that appear as small peas under the skin. Cysts may also form inside the body such as on the ovaries in women. Sebaceous cysts are common non-cancerous cysts of the skin. Cyst under the skin can be diagnosed with the help of a physical examination and X-ray scan.

Tumors or cysts appear as lumps or bumps on or under the skin. They can appear anywhere in the body such as a lump in armpit, lump on chest, lump on shoulders, bump on thighs or on abdomen, bumps on arms or on back, etc. 

Skin lumps are more commonly referred to as ‘Lipoma’. Formation of lumps can be felt by touching the skin surface. They appear to be tender, rubber-like structures, in most cases. Lumps or bumps are circular structures of different sizes. These lumps can be harmful as they might cause infection or lead to the formation of cancerous tumors which may result in early signs of skin cancer.

To detect whether these lumps or bumps are harmful, a biopsy is usually a recommended procedure. Biopsy helps in the diagnosis of cancerous lesions. If a lump is found to be cancerous, the treatment for cancer will be provided to the patient. It is observed that in most cases, lumps are benign in nature and the outlook with benign tumors is expected to be good.

Harmful bumps or lumps in the skin can be treated with the help of oral corticosteroid medications, topical medications, laser therapy, freezing the lesion, or surgery. In case of any infection or abscess in the lump, antibiotics are prescribed. Topical skin ointments and creams containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide reduce acne bumps, warts, and rashes.

If these lumps cannot be treated with medicines then corticosteroid injections are recommended for the treatment for swollen bumps. Excision or removal of tissues or by freezing i.e. by cryosurgery is recommended when the lumps cannot be treated with corticosteroid injections.

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