What’s this sore spot on my breast?

I took a spill down a flight of stairs three months ago and severely bruised my breast. I thought it had healed, but yesterday I noticed a soft, pea-size lump that’s painful to the touch—and it’s exactly where the bruise was. Now I’m worried. What could this be?

Please try not to worry—while I always advise seeing your doctor to have any breast changes checked out, this sounds like an oil cyst. These benign cysts occur when trauma, infection or surgery damages fatty breast tissue, which causes cells to release their contents and form a soft, oily sac.

Oil cysts aren’t always painful—in fact, many women don’t even know they have one until it’s detected on a mammogram. But depending on their size and location, the cysts can put pressure on surrounding nerves to cause the soreness you’re describing.

Your doctor can diagnose your cyst with the aid of ultrasound, and she may use a fine needle to draw fluid out of it—that fluid will be sent for testing to rule out other problems and confirm the diagnosis. This technique, called needle aspiration, is typically performed after administering a local anesthetic. And since the aspiration will also shrink the cyst to alleviate soreness, it’s usually the only treatment needed.

In the meantime, I recommend treating your discomfort with an

OTC pain reliever like naproxen or ibuprofen, as well as applying a cold compress (or an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel or linen napkin) to the affected breast for 10 to 15 minutes twice daily. Also smart: Wearing a supportive bra during the day and sleeping in a sports bra at night, which will reduce the amount of pain-producing pressure placed on the cyst by surrounding tissue.