A lump under the arm is a fairly common occurrence that every person has encountered at least once. A lump is a small lump that can occur for various reasons. Cones can be of different sizes and vary in color. This pathology may or may not be painful. In any case, when it appears, it is better to immediately contact a specialist.
Remember! Never try to squeeze out the lump. All treatment methods are prescribed only by a doctor, based on the cause of the formation. The main rule of prevention is, of course, personal hygiene.
Hidradenitis
Purulent inflammation of apocrine sweat glands. It occurs under the influence of staphylococci and streptococci that penetrate the glandular tissue through ducts or wounds in the skin. With this disease, the lump under the armpit hurts and itches. Body temperature rises and chills occur. The skin over the inflammation becomes purplish-red, and over time, pus begins to ooze from the center of the affected area. Treatment involves taking antibiotics and external treatment with antiseptics. Physiotherapy is also carried out and bandages with antibacterial ointments are applied.
Preventive measures: what not to do
Pimples under the arms, unlike rashes on the face, are not noticeable, but often cause itching and pain.
Be sure to read:
Pimples on the palms: reasons, what to do if pimples appear and itch
When pimples appear, you should not do the following:
- Squeeze, pierce pathological formations and comb. With such actions, the skin is further injured, and infection can be caused through damage.
- Treat with alcohol. The aggressive substance “burns” the upper epithelium, impairing the healing process.
- Perform depilation. Exposure to razors, wax and other things increases the inflammatory process.
The basis of treatment and prevention is hygiene. When washing, you should use mild soap with a neutral pH, and avoid using hard washcloths.
Furuncle
Inflammation of the hair follicle, sweat gland and surrounding connective tissue. Occurs under the influence of pathogenic bacteria. With furunculosis, the skin becomes red and swollen, and pus is visible inside. Itching and burning appears. The temperature rises and weakness occurs. Local lymph nodes are enlarged. There is severe pain. While the boil is maturing, it is injected with antibiotics and exposed to ultraviolet irradiation. After ripening, the pus with dead tissue is opened and removed.
Axillary lymphadenitis
An inflammatory process in the lymph node due to the occurrence of a focus of infection in the body. The serous form of the pathology is accompanied by the appearance of a hard lump under the armpit. The seal hurts when pressed. There is no general deterioration in health. With purulent lymphadenitis, the temperature rises, chills and nausea occur. Redness and swelling are accompanied by severe pain. If the pathology arose as a result of another infection, after the primary disease is cured, the tumor subsides. In case of independent suppuration of the node, the lump is opened and the contents are removed. Antibiotics for external and internal use are also indicated.
Other diseases
In some cases, when a ball has formed under the armpit and it hurts, this indicates serious illness.
Inflamed lymph nodes indicate suppression of the immune system. A person may have cancer. Most often it is breast cancer in women.
If a lump appears, this may indicate diseases of the hematopoietic system (leukemia), syphilis, tuberculosis, even the immunodeficiency virus.
For serious diseases, doctors prescribe complex therapy to destroy the pathogen. In case of oncology, the lump is cut out and chemotherapy or radiation therapy is performed.
Mammary cancer
This type of cancer often metastasizes to the axillary region. In addition, lumps appear in the breasts, discharge from the nipples, and changes in the structure of the skin. One of the glands increases or decreases in size, or moves relative to its normal position. There is constant pain that radiates to the back, arm or armpit. An unreasonable cough also appears, and fatigue occurs quickly. Treatment methods are the same as for other types of malignant neoplasms.
Lump under the arm photo
Lipoma
A benign neoplasm consisting of a capsule and fatty contents. Occurs due to blockage of the sebaceous glands. The disease is characterized by the appearance of a soft, mobile growth that quickly increases in size and sometimes reaches several centimeters in diameter. At the same time, the lump under the arm does not hurt and causes inconvenience only when large volumes are reached. In this case, the tumor is removed by cutting the skin and removing the capsule. But most often the tumor resolves on its own.
Treatment
Wen can be treated with conservative methods only at the earliest stages of its development. Basically, lipomas can only be removed surgically.
Now there are various methods for removing lipomas, but they are not prescribed in all cases.
If the wen does not increase in size and does not bother the person, you can postpone the operation, but you need to monitor the tumor in any case.
It is strictly forbidden to remove the wen on your own - a large number of vessels and nerves pass through the armpit area, and damage to them can lead to loss of motor function of the limb. In addition, by removing the wen at home, the risk of infection increases, which will also lead to undesirable consequences.
Indications for removing a wen are the following:
- Rapid growth of the tumor - more than 5 mm in 3 months.
- The fatty tissue provokes pain, swelling, and numbness.
- Suspicion of oncology or inflammation in the lymph nodes. Of course, these pathologies can be distinguished from a lipoma using a biopsy, however, this diagnostic method can give impetus to the spread of cancer cells through the blood and lymph. Therefore, doctors prefer to remove the tumor without in-depth diagnostics, which is carried out on the removed material.
Wen removal is carried out in a hospital setting, and like any other operation, this intervention requires a preliminary examination of the patient. Appointed:
- General and biochemical analysis of blood and urine;
- blood clotting test;
- analysis for infections.
The operations are performed under local anesthesia.
Surgery
Surgical removal of lipomas is mainly used for large tumors, as well as fatty tissues prone to inflammation.
Hospitalization is not required and the patient can go home immediately after surgery.
The tumor is removed using a scalpel, and the resulting material is sent for histology to ensure the absence of a cancerous process. Healing of wounds lasts for a week.
Endoscopic removal
This is a less traumatic operation, during which the doctor makes a small incision on the skin, and through it inserts a special medical device - an endoscope, equipped with the necessary medical instruments and a video camera. With the help of this device, the formation is destroyed from the inside and removed in parts using an endoscope. The doctor sees the entire removal process on the monitor screen.
Laser removal
This method is considered low-traumatic and very effective, since recurrences of the removed tumor in this case are very rare. In addition, this removal is completely painless, and the patient may experience only slight discomfort during the procedure. There is no scar deformation left after removal. The wounds heal in 3-4 days.
Radio wave surgery
This is also a virtually painless procedure, after which there are no scars. Removal is carried out using radio waves, and the optimal healing period for wounds is only a couple of days. This treatment can be carried out at any stage of development of the pathological process.
Drug therapy
If the doctor does not insist on immediate surgery, treatment of the wen can be carried out at home, using the following products, which can be purchased at any pharmacy and without a prescription:
- Vishnevsky ointment . The drug is applied to the lipoma, the area is covered with cellophane and insulated. The compress needs to be firmly fixed, as it will remain on the body night and day. The compress needs to be renewed every 11-12 hours. The course of treatment is several days. Ichthyol ointment can be used in the same way. The positive effect is observed due to the anti-inflammatory effect of the drugs.
- Iodine and vinegar can solve the problem. Both ingredients should be taken in equal proportions, mixed well and applied to the tumor several times a day. The course of treatment is until the pathology completely disappears.
- Hydrogen peroxide is another effective remedy. It is either applied to the tumor several times a day, or compresses are applied at night.
Physiotherapeutic techniques in the treatment of lipomas are useless, but they can be prescribed in the postoperative period. UHF, magnetic therapy and electrophoresis will speed up the rehabilitation and healing of the scar.
Folk remedies
As for folk remedies for treating wen, they are recommended to be used only after consulting a doctor and only as an additional therapy.
Here are some of the most effective recipes:
- Crushed ivy leaves are poured with vodka in a 1:1 ratio. The tincture should stand in a cool, dark place for 3 weeks. Then the liquid is drained and the cake is used as a compress. It is applied to the formation overnight.
- Golden mustache leaves are crushed and applied to the tumor. Cling film is placed on top. The compress is applied at night for 2 weeks.
- A honey-vodka compress is applied to a gauze swab (honey and vodka are taken in a 3:1 ratio). The compress needs to be changed three times a day.
- A tablespoon of wheat grains is ground in a coffee grinder and poured with water until a sticky homogeneous mass is obtained. The mass is wrapped in a bandage and applied to the wen, secured with a bandage. This compress needs to be kept for a couple of days, the procedure is repeated for a week.
- A compress made from grated onion is a good remedy. Change this compress twice a day. If a burning sensation occurs, the procedure should be stopped and not repeated.
You should not get carried away with traditional methods - their effectiveness against lipomas is quite questionable, and the result can be unpredictable. The most effective way to get rid of lipoma remains surgical removal.
Folliculitis
Inflammation of the hair follicle. It is caused by staphylococci and streptococci. Pathogenic microorganisms penetrate the bulb through scratches and cuts. At first, the skin turns red and becomes hot. There is a feeling of compaction underneath. Then a cone grows, which has a round or conical shape. Can reach large sizes. In the center of the formation there is a purulent core. The tumor constantly hurts. Antiseptic solutions and antibiotics in ointments and tablets are used for treatment. In severe cases, the lump is opened and pus and dead tissue are drained from it.
Inflammation of the lymph nodes
The inflammatory process in the lymph nodes is called lymphadenitis.
It is formed under the influence of such factors:
- Infectious diseases: sore throat, measles, influenza and measles.
- Problems with the hematopoietic system.
- Oncological formations with metastases.
- The presence of microorganisms that cause tuberculosis or syphilis.
Such swelling does not always hurt either. The inflammatory process can occur for various reasons, which affects the pain or painlessness of the condition.
This lump is easily palpable when pressed. In addition, it is characterized by mobility. In this case, it is important to consult a doctor in time, since the formation can change its size. This problem occurs in men and women, and even in children.
Phlegmon
Purulent lesion of adipose tissue. Usually it spreads into the axillary region from foci of infection localized in the upper extremities. The causative agent of the process is Staphylococcus aureus. The neoplasm is an elastic compaction without clear boundaries. The skin over it turns red and becomes glossy. Pressing and moving causes pain. Body temperature rises. Over time, the center of the lump becomes soft and may ooze pus. At the initial stage of the disease, physiotherapy methods, antibiotics and painkillers are used. A severe course involves opening the source of inflammation and draining the pus.
If a lump appears under your armpit, you don’t need to wait for it to resolve on its own. Especially if the slightest touch to it causes pain. In most cases, we are talking about severe inflammation, which can spread to surrounding tissues. Painless tumors are no less dangerous. Some of them are cancerous. Therefore, the appearance of any lumps in the armpit should be a reason for immediate contact with a surgeon or oncologist.
Why do bumps form?
Reasons influencing the appearance of lumps under the arms:
- increased sweating - in this case, there is constantly high humidity under the armpit. It creates good conditions for the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria;
- failure to comply with the rules of personal hygiene - with any microtrauma, bacteria enter the body and the inflammatory process begins;
- improper use of body hygiene products - many deodorants clog the ducts, they do not reduce sweating. If you use them before playing sports, the sweat will have nowhere to go. After some time, hidradenitis or other inflammations may appear;
- microtraumas and cuts during shaving can cause boils or hidradenitis. Any injuries must be treated with antiseptics;
- if a lump appears under the armpit and it hurts, this may be a consequence of infectious pathologies (measles, sore throat). The seal is associated with inflammation of the lymph nodes and is often diagnosed in a child;
- lymphadenitis may indicate serious illnesses - cancer, blood diseases, syphilis or tuberculosis.
When lumps appear, some people do not know which doctor to contact. If you have questions about lumps and other neoplasms, you must make an appointment with a surgeon.
