Worry on its own changes nothing. Turn worry into action: make the appointment, ask the question, and let the plan take over.
This photo shows a woman with blonde hair tied back, sitting on the exam table in a black tank top, with a tight, red, golf-ball sized lump on her upper chest just below the collarbone and a doctor’s gloved hands holding gauze beside it.
A lump like this on the chest is most often an inflamed epidermoid cyst, although a doctor will also consider an abscess or a lipoma.
The chest has many oil glands, and sweat, tight clothing and friction from straps can block the follicles there and start a cyst.
When the cyst becomes inflamed it can swell quickly, feel warm and sore, and make it uncomfortable to wear a bra strap or sleep on that side.
A doctor will examine the lump closely, press gently around it to see whether it is tense or soft, and ask how long it has been growing.
If it is a cyst, the area is numbed, the lump is opened and drained, and the sac is removed through a small cut so the swelling does not return.
Afterwards the spot is cleaned and dressed, and it is checked again after a few days to make sure it is healing well.
Washing the chest daily, wearing clean breathable fabrics and leaving bumps alone instead of squeezing them all help prevent new cysts.
Turn worry into action and let someone experienced take care of it. The videos below show chest cysts being treated by professionals.
