Dermatologist Questions Dermatologist

What is this lump?

It's a red/pink/purple lump that's painful when touched near my underarm.

Male | 24 years old
Complaint duration: A little over a week
Medications: None

2 Answers

Sorry about the delayed response. Could be an inflamed cyst. Anything that is painful is best checked by a doctor to decide the best treatment plan.

Stephen Schleicher, MD
Lots of possibilities there - unfortunately, the quality of the images we get from the website are very sub-par. Best guess is a "boil" or blocked hair follicle that is creating an inflammatory reaction. Most of the time, this is not a true infection, but an inflammatory response to a hair follicle that is exposed to the immune system and the immune system has to
go and break it down and take it away. I would advise that you see a board certified dermatologist as this presentation could be the initial onset of Hidradenitis Suppurativa. That is certainly a disease process that you want to try to get a handle on quickly before it becomes worse. Part of that is quitting smoking if you do, and losing weight if you are overweight. But there are many other treatments that a dermatologist can provide, from topicals to tablets to surgery.
Hope this helps.

Warm regards,

JJC
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