Keep your chin up, even when something unexpected shows up. Most worries become lighter once we understand what we are looking at.
This photo shows a young man lying back on a clinic table with a large, round, red lump on the side of his neck, just below the jaw line.
A swelling like this is very often an epidermoid cyst. The neck has many hair follicles, and shaving or rubbing from collars can irritate them.
The cyst forms when a follicle becomes blocked and skin cells collect inside a small sac. The sac slowly fills and pushes the skin outward.
When it gets inflamed it can grow fast, feel tight and sore, and make it uncomfortable to turn the head, shave or wear a shirt collar.
