Sometimes the best thing to do is tune out the noise, slow down and deal with one thing properly. Worry adds nothing; a clear plan does.
This photo shows a woman with her hair clipped up and a large red swelling just behind her ear, while a doctor holds a piece of gauze against it.
Lumps behind the ear are usually cysts. The skin there has many oil glands, and a blocked follicle can slowly fill with keratin until it becomes a firm round bump.
The area behind the ear is warm, often missed during washing and rubbed by glasses, hair and headphones, which is why blocked pores there are so common.
When the cyst becomes inflamed it can swell quickly, feel tender to touch and make it uncomfortable to sleep on that side or wear glasses.
