It is easy to lose heart when something keeps bothering you, but it helps to stay hopeful. With the right care, most problems get better step by step.
This photo shows a young man with a large, red lump on his upper back between the shoulder blades, about the size of a golf ball, with a small whitish head.
A lump like this is most likely an inflamed epidermoid cyst. It begins when a pore or hair follicle is blocked and a sac under the skin fills with keratin.
The middle of the upper back is a very common spot, because it has many oil glands, sweats a lot and is hard to reach when washing.
When the cyst is inflamed, it can swell over a few days, feel warm and sore, and hurt when leaning back or wearing a backpack.
