Our bodies speak to us all the time. Pain, swelling and tenderness are all ways of saying that something needs care.
A lump behind the ear or on the side of the neck is easy to miss at first, because we rarely look at that part of our body in the mirror.
Over time, though, it can grow into one or more swollen bumps that hurt when we turn our head or lie down on that side.
The skin behind the ear has many oil glands and hair follicles, so blocked pores and epidermoid cysts are fairly common there.
When several cysts form close together, they can merge into one large, purple and painful swelling that looks quite alarming.
