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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Assessment online; unexplained or growing lumps need in-person examination.
- Most lumps are harmless, but a hard, fixed, growing or unexplained lump lasting more than two weeks needs in-person examination; a lump can never be diagnosed as cancer or cleared of it from a photo alone.
- Lymph glands often swell and become tender for a week or two after an infection, then settle.
- Do not squeeze or try to burst a cyst; that pushes infection deeper and inflames the surrounding skin.
- Lipomas (fatty lumps) and epidermoid cysts are common, usually harmless, and often need no treatment at all.
An online consultation is a good first step for working out how urgently a lump needs seeing. Book in-person care directly, and do not wait for an online slot, for a new breast, testicle or neck lump, a lump that is hard, fixed and growing, or any lump alongside unexplained weight loss, night sweats or feeling generally unwell. See the referral criteria below.
Can an online doctor tell me if a lump is serious?
An online doctor cannot feel a lump or diagnose cancer from a photo, and will never claim to. What a consultation can do is take a careful history, look at the lump on video, and judge how urgently it needs in-person examination. Most lumps are harmless, but hard, fixed, growing or unexplained lumps need hands-on assessment, sometimes urgently.[1]
How an online consultation helps with a lump
? Photograph the lump in daylight from two angles, with a ruler or a coin beside it for scale, and add a close-up of the overlying skin. Note in the booking whether it moves when you push it, whether it is tender, and how it has changed over weeks. A photo helps the conversation, but remember the doctor cannot feel the lump, so examination may still be needed. Our guide, how to photograph a skin problem for an online doctor, can help.
? Photograph the lump in daylight from two angles, with a ruler or a coin beside it for scale, and add a close-up of the overlying skin. Note in the booking whether it moves when you push it, whether it is tender, and how it has changed over weeks. A photo helps the conversation, but remember the doctor cannot feel the lump, so examination may still be needed. Our guide, how to photograph a skin problem for an online doctor, can help.
the history, the location and how the lump has changed over time let the doctor decide how quickly you need to be seen, which is often the thing people most want to know.
a soft, mobile, slow-growing swelling, a quiet cyst or a tender gland after an infection often have a recognisable story, and the doctor can explain what it likely is and what to watch for.
if a lump has worrying features, you leave with a referral for in-person examination and, where appropriate, an urgent one, not vague advice to keep an eye on it.
a camera cannot replace a doctor’s hands or a scan, so anything uncertain is sent for examination rather than guessed at online.
What the doctor checks in an online lump consultation
The assessment is built around the features that separate a lump you can watch from one that needs examining. In a lump consultation, the doctor will typically assess:
- Where it is: a chest-wall or limb swelling is read differently from a lump in the breast, testicle, neck or armpit, which carry their own examination pathways.[4]
- How long, and how it has changed: a lump present unchanged for years is reassuring, while a new lump that has grown over weeks is not.
- What it feels like to you: soft and squashy, rubbery and mobile, or hard and stuck down, and whether the skin moves freely over it.
- The overlying skin: a central punctum suggesting a cyst, redness and heat suggesting infection, or ulceration and colour change that need in-person review.
- Pain and other lumps: whether it is tender, single or one of several, and whether glands elsewhere are up.
- Whole-body clues: unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fevers or fatigue, which raise the priority for examination.[1]
- The honest limit: because the doctor cannot palpate the lump, any uncertain or concerning feature is routed to in-person assessment rather than settled online.
Common lumps that are usually harmless
Reassuringly, the great majority of lumps people find are benign, and several have a characteristic pattern. Knowing them helps you understand what the doctor is weighing up, though only examination can confirm any of them.[5]
Lipoma (a fatty lump)
A lipoma is a soft, doughy, mobile swelling of fat cells that sits just under the skin, grows very slowly, and is usually painless.[2] They are common, often on the shoulders, back, arms or chest wall, and are harmless. Many are simply monitored; one can be removed in person if it is large, growing or getting in the way. A lump that is hard, fixed or rapidly enlarging is not a typical lipoma and needs examining.
Epidermoid and other cysts
An epidermoid cyst (often loosely called a sebaceous cyst) is a skin-coloured, smooth lump, sometimes with a tiny central pore, that can slowly enlarge and occasionally discharge or become inflamed.[3] Most are left alone. If one becomes red, hot and painful it may be infected and needs in-person care. You can read more on our sebaceous cyst page.
Reactive lymph nodes
Lymph glands in the neck, armpit or groin often swell and become tender for a week or two during and after an infection, then settle. A mobile, tender gland that comes up with a sore throat or a skin infection nearby is usually reactive.[4] A node that is hard, fixed, painless and persistent, or keeps enlarging, is the pattern that needs examination and often a scan.
When a lump needs urgent attention
This is the part that matters most. Certain features shift a lump from watch-and-wait to see-someone-in-person, sometimes urgently, and they are worth knowing whatever the eventual diagnosis turns out to be. See a doctor in person promptly if a lump is:[1][5]
- Hard, or feels stuck (fixed) to the skin or the tissue beneath it.
- Growing, or has clearly changed over recent weeks.
- Painless yet steadily enlarging, especially if larger than about 2 cm.
- Present for more than two weeks with no obvious explanation.
- A new lump in the breast (in women or men), a testicle, or the neck.
- Accompanied by unexplained weight loss, night sweats, persistent fever or unusual tiredness.
None of these means cancer, and most such lumps turn out to be benign, but they are the situations where a proper examination, and sometimes imaging or a biopsy, is the safe next step. An online consultation can recognise these patterns quickly and get the referral moving; it cannot, and should not, try to diagnose or rule out a cancer from a screen.
Lumps on the chest and chest wall
A lump on the chest is a common worry, and it can be several things. On the chest wall it is often a lipoma or a cyst, read like any other skin or fatty lump. But the chest also contains breast tissue, in men as well as women, so a lump felt within the breast itself, a change around the nipple, or a lump in the armpit is treated as a breast lump and warrants in-person examination, usually with imaging, rather than online reassurance.[1] If you are unsure which kind you have, the consultation will help place it and point you to the right assessment.
Which lumps suit online assessment, and which need examining?
This is the framework our doctors use to route a lump safely, aligned with the cited guidance:[1]
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Presentation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When referral or in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft, mobile, slow-growing, painless (likely lipoma) | Explanation and monitoring; in-person removal only if it bothers you | Usually yes, for assessment and advice | Rapid growth, hardening, or becoming fixed |
| Skin-coloured lump, sometimes with a central pore (likely cyst) | Leave alone; treat only if inflamed or infected | Usually yes | Red, hot, painful (infected): needs in-person drainage |
| Tender, mobile gland with a nearby infection (reactive node) | Treat the cause; expect it to settle over a week or two | Usually yes | Hard, fixed, painless, or persisting beyond 2–6 weeks |
| Hard, fixed, growing, or unexplained lump for over two weeks | Urgent in-person assessment and referral | No: assessment and referral only | Always; needs examination and often imaging |
| New breast, testicle or neck lump | In-person examination, usually with imaging | No: assessment and referral only | Always |
Availability of individual medicines and who may prescribe them vary by country; your doctor confirms what applies where you are.
Not sure if your lump needs to be seen? A doctor can tell you in one consultation. €47, exact price shown before payment.
See available times →Treatment options for a lump under the skin
What you can do yourself
For a lump with no worrying features, the sensible step is to note its size, perhaps by measuring it or photographing it beside a ruler, and watch for change over the next couple of weeks. Do not squeeze or try to burst a cyst, which pushes infection deeper and inflames the surrounding skin. A soft, long-standing, unchanging lump can usually be watched, but anything that grows, hardens or becomes fixed should be brought forward for examination rather than monitored indefinitely.
What treatment involves
Benign lumps often need no treatment at all. A lipoma or a quiet cyst can simply be left, and removal, when wanted, is a minor in-person procedure rather than something done online. An infected cyst or an abscess needs in-person drainage; if the surrounding skin shows spreading redness suggesting cellulitis, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics after the consultation, used only where there are genuine signs of bacterial infection. A prescription is never issued without a consultation, and prescriptions can be sent to a pharmacy near you in most EU countries. What an online consultation never does is diagnose a cancer, or promise that a lump is harmless, from a photograph.
When we treat lumps online, and when we refer you
We treat and advise online: lumps with a clearly benign story that call for explanation, reassurance and a plan to monitor; inflamed or infected cysts where advice, and antibiotics for surrounding cellulitis, help; and guidance on which lumps can safely be watched and which cannot.
We refer or redirect you: any lump that is hard, fixed, growing or unexplained for more than two weeks; a new breast, testicle or neck lump; an abscess that needs draining; and any lump with unexplained weight loss, night sweats or persistent fever, all of which get an in-person referral, urgent where the features warrant it. In every one of these cases the consultation buys you a fast, correctly prioritised referral, not a diagnosis made over a screen. A lump is one of many concerns our doctors assess among skin conditions online, alongside growths such as warts.
When to get in-person care
Book in-person assessment promptly for any hard, fixed or growing lump, a new breast, testicle or neck lump, or a lump with weight loss, night sweats or fever. Go to an emergency department, or call 112, if a lump in the neck is rapidly enlarging and making it hard to breathe or swallow, or if an abscess comes with a high fever, spreading redness, confusion or feeling very unwell, which can signal a serious spreading infection.
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Listen · 23 Feb 2026 →How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm, often the same day, with the exact price, €47, shown before you pay.
- Upload your photos, then speak to a licensed doctor: a private video consultation, from anywhere in Europe.
- Get a clear plan: reassurance and monitoring, treatment for an infected cyst, or a prioritised referral for examination. If we can’t help you online, you get a full refund.
Frequently asked questions about a lump under the skin
Can an online doctor tell if my lump is cancer?
No: a lump cannot be diagnosed as cancer, or cleared of it, from a photo or video, and we will never claim otherwise. What the doctor can do is assess the history and appearance, explain what it most likely is, and decide how urgently you need an in-person examination, which is what actually settles the question.
How much does a lump consultation cost?
A video consultation costs €47. The exact price is shown before payment, and there is no subscription. If the doctor can’t help you online and you need in-person assessment, you get a full refund and clear directions to the right care.
How quickly can I speak to a doctor?
Appointments are available daily from 7am to 11pm, often the same day. You choose a slot that suits you and upload clear photos of the lump beforehand, so the doctor can assess it and, if it needs examining, arrange the right referral in the same consultation.
What does a harmless lump usually feel like?
Many benign lumps are soft or rubbery, move easily under the skin, grow slowly if at all, and are painless or only mildly tender. A lipoma feels doughy and mobile; a cyst is smooth and skin-coloured. That said, feel is only a clue, and a firm or changing lump still deserves examination rather than assumption.
I have a hard lump that is not going away. What should I do?
A hard lump that has lasted more than two weeks, or is growing or fixed in place, should be examined in person. It is very often benign, but it is exactly the pattern that needs hands-on assessment and sometimes a scan. An online consultation can review it quickly and arrange the right, appropriately urgent referral.
Can you treat an infected cyst online?
Partly: if a cyst is red, hot and painful, the doctor can assess it and, where the surrounding skin shows spreading infection, prescribe antibiotics after the consultation. But a cyst or abscess that needs draining is a minor in-person procedure, so you may be directed to hands-on care for that part of the treatment.
I have a lump on my chest. Is that a breast lump?
A chest lump may or may not be a breast lump, depending on where it sits. A lump on the chest wall is often a lipoma or a cyst, but the chest also holds breast tissue in men and women, so a lump felt within the breast, a nipple change, or a lump in the armpit is treated as a breast lump and needs in-person examination, usually with imaging. The consultation helps tell these apart.
When is a lump an emergency?
A lump itself is rarely an emergency, but call 112 or go to an emergency department if a neck lump is rapidly swelling and making breathing or swallowing difficult, or if an abscess brings a high fever, spreading redness, confusion or feeling very unwell. Otherwise, worrying lumps need prompt in-person assessment rather than emergency care.
- Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2015 (updated 2023).
- Lipoma, DermNet New Zealand Trust, reviewed 2023.
- Epidermoid cyst, DermNet New Zealand Trust, reviewed 2023.
- Neck lump: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, revised 2023.
- Lumps: causes, diagnosis and treatments, HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), reviewed 2021.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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Listen · 23 Feb 2026 →Speak to a doctor about lumps today
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