YOUR GUIDE TO LUMPS AND BUMPS

A new lump can be worrying but it’s usually harmless, as Dr Christian explains…

eople are understandably P terrified of lumps. But in younger, healthy people, they’re most likely to be a harmless cyst, wart or minor infection. Being frightened of a cancer diagnosis is usually the reason people don’t go to the doctor, but I’d encourage you to go – it’s the only way you’ll know for sure.

SEE THE GP ABOUT BREAST LUMPS

Nine out of 10 breast lumps won’t be breast cancer, but you should always see your GP. At least half of women have slightly lumpy breasts during their cycle, thanks to hormonal changes, so if you’re near to or on your period and your breasts feel tender and lumpy, wait a week or so and then have another feel. Other harmless reasons for lumps and bumps in your breasts would be things like blocked milk ducts if you’re breastfeeding. A lump in your armpit is another reason to see your doctor as it could be connected to your lymph glands.

HOW TO RECOGNISE A HARMLESS CYST

You can get a cyst or a lipoma anywhere on your body. A cyst is quite a hard, fluid-filled round lump; a lipoma is a softer, more moveable fatty growth under the skin. Neither are a worry. They don’t hurt unless you whack them, and you don’t need to get them drained unless you constantly catch or knock them. Little lumps on your hand, wrist or finger are usually a ganglion cyst. They’re slow-growing and again nothing to worry about. Look any of these up on the internet to see examples.

SWOLLEN FACE? LICK A LEMON !

A swollen face will usually be either mumps, an allergic reaction, an abscess or a salivary gland stone. With mumps, you’d feel feverish and the swelling would be on both sides. A salivary gland stone tends to be on just one side of your face. The classic way to check for this is to lick a lemon – you’ll produce lots of saliva, which will be agony. If it’s an allergic reaction, the swelling will be more puffy around your eyes and your throat. That needs urgent attention, so you should either be using your Epipen or calling 999. Google the Will Smith film Hitch, where he has a reaction to seafood to see an example! With a dental abscess, you’d usually have a throbbing pain around your jaw – call your dentist.

TRY NOT TO POP IT!

You have glands in your groin that can swell up when you have an STI, an infection like a cold or glandular fever, or if you have a little spot somewhere else that’s gone a bit nasty – it can actually drain into the glands in your groin. The other possibility is a hernia, and there’s one way of differentiating: if you prod a hernia you can push it away, if you can’t it’s a swollen gland – and you also wouldn’t feel an increased pressure when you cough. If it’s red and angry looking, it could be an ingrown hair that’s got a bit infected. Don’t try to pop

it, simply apply a hot flannel a few times a day to encourage it to drain, and keep it clean with antiseptic cream or lotion or it could get infected and require antibiotics.

enlarged glands? CHECK for other SYMPTOMS

If you’re generally fit and healthy, but feeling a bit grotty, it’s probably swollen glands thanks to a cold or glandular fever. A swollen neck could also be connected to your scalp – if you’ve got a scab on your scalp that you’ve picked, the infection can drain into the glands in your neck. Otherwise it could be a thyroid problem. An overactive thyroid would present symptoms such as feeling hot, losing weight unintentionally and diarrhoea; while an underactive thyroid would mean you’d be feeling cold and sluggish, with thinning hair and constipation. See your GP.

don’t Be SHY about BOTTOM BUMPS!

Lumpiness in a healthy person’s bottom is most likely to be piles. You’d probably have just one or two painful lumps, and we don’t usually need to examine you. You can get some cream over the counter, plus drinking lots of water, eating fibre and exercising is useful because it improves your circulation. The next most likely thing would be warts. Women often get them, but won’t see their GP because they think they’ll assume it’s caused by anal sex – we won’t. The wart virus can track from the front to the back.