Some problems feel bigger than they really are. The best way to rise above it is to face it calmly, get the right help and keep your eyes on the next step.
This photo shows a woman’s upper back, with a large red swelling sitting between her shoulder blades. The skin over it is stretched tight and shiny, with a small crusted head near the middle.
A lump like this is most often an epidermoid cyst. It starts when a hair follicle or pore on the back becomes blocked and the skin cells that should shed are trapped underneath.
The upper back has many large oil glands, and the area rubs against clothing and bag straps all day, so blockages there are common and easy to miss until they grow.
Over weeks the cyst can reach several centimetres across. When it becomes inflamed it feels warm, tight and sore, and it can make lying on the back or carrying a backpack uncomfortable.
