What Is This Spongy Bump Under My Skin?

Feeling a lump under your skin might startle you and lead you to assume the worst. But not every lump or bump is cancerous or something that needs treatment right away. 

Any time you feel or see something new on your skin, it’s important to bring it up with a dermatologist. At Orlando Dermatology Center in Orlando and Oviedo, Florida, dermatologist Vitaly Blatnoy, MD, and the team can evaluate new or growing bumps to find out what they are and if they need treatment.   

Here’s everything you should know if you feel a spongy bump under your skin:

Cysts vs. lipomas: What’s the difference? 

Cysts and lipomas are two types of under-the-skin growths you might describe as feeling spongy or soft. Both are typically harmless but can affect your appearance. They might be bothersome depending on where they appear. 

What is a cyst?

A cyst is a sac under your skin that can be filled with one of a few materials. You might grow a cyst filled with fat, hair, air, fluid, or pus. In many cases, cysts are filled with keratin, which feels soft to the touch beneath your skin. There are a few different types of cysts, as cysts can grow in hair follicles, oil-secreting glands, or pores. 

What is a lipoma?

Often mistaken for cysts, lipomas are noncancerous fatty tumors. Always soft in texture, you can tell a growth is a lipoma by the way it’s movable and doesn’t feel tender to the touch. Lipomas are also usually small at less than two inches in diameter, though they might grow over time. 

You should let a dermatologist know right away if a cyst or lipoma appears to grow rapidly or causes pain. 

Seeking treatment for a spongy bump

Whether it’s a cyst or lipoma, your dermatologist can determine if you need treatment. You might want treatment if you don’t like how a cyst or lipoma looks or if it affects how your clothing fits. 

Our team at Orlando Dermatology Center can provide treatment for cysts or lipomas with careful excision, a sterile procedure that involves removing the growth with a scalpel. 

If the growth is a cyst, the team must remove the entire sac around the material within. If they leave the sac and only remove the material, the cyst can grow back. 

For any excision procedure, the team at Orlando Dermatology Center provides local anesthesia to numb your skin first.

Get in touch

If you have an unknown spongy bump beneath your skin, you probably want to know what it is even if it isn’t painful. Call Orlando Dermatology Center or request an appointment online today.