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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Assessment online. A lump is sorted by history, photos and video into harmless-and-watch, infected-and-treat, or needs-examination, with antibiotics for an infected cyst where they fit; unexplained, hard or growing lumps are examined in person.
- What it is: most lumps under the skin are lipomas (soft, doughy, mobile fatty lumps), epidermoid cysts (smooth, with a central pore), reactive lymph glands, abscesses or skin tags; a minority are tumours, which is why the two-week rule exists.
- The two-week rule: a lump that is still there after 2 weeks, is growing, hard, fixed, painful, red or hot, or has come back after removal needs in-person examination; a new breast, testicle or neck lump is examined without waiting.
- Swollen glands: lymph glands in the neck, armpit or groin often swell to 1 to 2 cm and feel tender for a week or two after an infection, then settle; a gland that stays enlarged beyond 2 to 3 weeks, keeps growing or feels hard needs examination.
- Never squeeze: squeezing or trying to burst a cyst pushes infection deeper and inflames the surrounding skin; an infected cyst needs antibiotics and sometimes in-person drainage.
- Emergency: call 112 if a neck lump is swelling rapidly and making breathing or swallowing difficult, or if an abscess comes with high fever, spreading redness, confusion or a racing heart.
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
- Fast risk sorting: 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.
- Reassurance for common benign lumps: 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.
- Clear routing for red flags: 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.
- Honest about the limits: a camera cannot replace a doctor’s hands or a scan, so anything uncertain is sent for examination rather than guessed at online.
📷 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.
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 the 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 the 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 |
Not sure if your lump needs to be seen? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
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 any prescription can be used at a pharmacy near you. What an online consultation never does is diagnose a cancer, or promise that a lump is harmless, from a photograph.
When a lump is assessed online, and when you need in-person care
Handled 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.
In-person care: 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 the 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.
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm CET. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, exact price up front.
- Upload your photos, then speak to a licensed doctor: a private video call: you describe what you feel, the doctor asks what matters, and you agree the right plan together.
- Get a clear plan: reassurance and monitoring, treatment for an infected cyst, or a prioritised referral for examination, or you get a full refund.
No sign-up needed
A lump under the skin can have more than one cause. Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Sebaceous Cyst can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about a lump under the skin
What is a lump under the skin, and what causes one?
A lump under the skin is a swelling you can feel, caused most often by a lipoma (a soft overgrowth of fat cells), an epidermoid or pilar cyst (a blocked follicle filled with keratin), a lymph gland swelling in response to infection, an abscess or boil, a skin tag, a wart, a ganglion near a joint, or an enlarged blood vessel. A small minority of lumps are benign or malignant tumours.
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 the doctor will never claim otherwise. What the doctor can do is assess the history and appearance of the lump, explain what it most likely is, and say how quickly it needs in-person examination, sometimes with an ultrasound scan or biopsy, and sometimes with no further tests at all.
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, round and skin-coloured, often with a tiny central pore; a reactive lymph gland is tender and the size of a pea or bean. That said, feel alone cannot clear a lump, which is why the two-week rule applies.
What are the warning signs that a lump needs examining?
See a doctor in person about a lump that is hard, fixed to deeper tissue, growing, larger than about 2 cm, painful, red or hot, bleeding or ulcerated, still there after two weeks, or back after removal; about any new breast, testicle or neck lump; and about a lump with unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fever or feeling generally unwell. These lumps are very often still benign, but they need hands-on assessment.
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 an ultrasound or biopsy. An online consultation can document the lump, sort out how urgent the examination is, and point you to the right clinic rather than a wait.
Can you treat an infected cyst online?
Partly. If a cyst is red, hot and painful, the doctor can assess it by photo and video and, where the surrounding skin shows spreading infection, prescribe antibiotics after the consultation. A cyst or abscess that has become a tense, fluctuant lump needs draining, which is a minor in-person procedure, and a cyst that keeps getting infected is best removed once the infection has settled.
Is it a cyst, a lipoma or something else?
A cyst sits in the skin, is smooth and firm, may have a central pore, and can become red and painful if infected. A lipoma sits under the skin, is soft, doughy and mobile, and grows slowly over years without becoming inflamed. A swollen gland is tender and appears with an infection; a ganglion sits beside a joint or tendon; an abscess is hot, painful and tense. Photos plus the story usually name the lump.
How long does a swollen lymph gland take to go down?
Lymph glands that swell in response to a cold, sore throat, tooth infection or skin infection usually become tender, enlarge to one to two centimetres, and settle within two to three weeks of the infection clearing. A gland still enlarged after three weeks, one that keeps growing, feels hard or rubbery, is painless, or comes with night sweats or weight loss needs in-person examination and blood tests.
I have a lump on my chest. Is that a breast lump?
A chest lump may or may not be a breast lump. 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 within the breast area, around the nipple or in the armpit is treated as a breast lump and examined in person without waiting. The doctor helps you locate it on the video call.
What should I do about a lump at home?
At home, do not squeeze, lance or apply strong chemicals to a lump; note the date you found it, measure it against a coin or ruler, and photograph it in good light so change is obvious; apply a warm compress to a tender cyst or boil; take paracetamol for discomfort; and keep the two-week rule in mind. Lumps that change, hurt more or appear with new symptoms need a doctor sooner.
Are lumps in the armpit, groin or neck different?
Lumps in the armpit, groin and neck are usually lymph glands reacting to a nearby infection, a cyst or an ingrown hair, and settle within a couple of weeks. Because these sites also hold the glands that cancers spread to, a lump there that persists beyond two to three weeks, grows, feels hard or painless, or comes with night sweats, fever or weight loss is examined in person promptly.
Can lumps be prevented?
Most lumps cannot be prevented: lipomas and cysts arise on their own. You can reduce infected cysts and abscesses by not squeezing spots or cysts, treating acne and ingrown hairs, and keeping skin that rubs clean and dry; and you can make sure any serious lump is found early by checking breasts and testicles regularly and acting on the two-week rule rather than watching a lump for months.
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, if an abscess brings a high fever, spreading redness, confusion or a racing heart, or if a lump in the groin or abdomen becomes suddenly painful, hard and tender with vomiting, which can be a strangulated hernia.
- 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.
- Lumps, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed February 2024.
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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