Each problem that gets handled is one less worry to carry. Taking care of things early keeps the load light.
This photo shows a woman in her fifties with short grey hair, her green top pulled off the shoulder, with a tight, red, golf-ball sized lump on top of her shoulder near the neck while a doctor’s gloved hands hold tweezers and gauze.
A lump in this spot is most likely an inflamed epidermoid cyst. A blocked follicle forms a sac under the skin that slowly fills with keratin.
The top of the shoulder is rubbed all day by bag straps, bra straps and collars, which keeps irritating the follicles there and makes blockages more likely.
When the cyst becomes inflamed it can grow quickly, feel hot and tender, and make carrying a bag or turning the head uncomfortable.
A doctor will examine the lump, press gently around it to see how tense it is and make sure the swelling is not coming from anything deeper.
If it is a cyst, the area is numbed, the lump is opened and drained to relieve the pressure, and the sac is taken out so it does not refill.
Afterwards the spot is cleaned and dressed, and keeping straps off it for a few days helps it heal without irritation.
Washing the shoulders and neck every day, padding bag straps and not squeezing bumps at home all lower the chance of another cyst.
Get it checked and that is one less worry. The videos below show shoulder cysts being treated by professionals.
