Many problems are easy to solve when they are small and much harder once they have grown. The trick is to act early.
A small lump on the upper arm is a good example. At first it may be the size of a pea and cause no pain at all.
Over months it can slowly get bigger, turning into a firm, round bump that rubs against sleeves and becomes irritated.
Lumps like this are usually either epidermoid cysts, which contain keratin, or lipomas, which are soft growths made of fat cells.
A dermatologist can usually tell the difference by feeling the lump and looking for a small central opening, which cysts often have.
