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Skin Condition · Kensington, London
Lumps and Bumps on the Skin: What Each Type Is and When to Get One Checked
Lumps and bumps on the skin are usually benign growths. Skin tags, milia, seborrhoeic keratoses, cysts, sebaceous hyperplasia and dermatofibromas account for most of them, and each has a recognisable appearance. The rule at Faciem is simple: a lesion is identified before it is removed, and anything that has changed is examined first. Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor with 20 years’ experience, sees every lesion herself at our Kensington clinic.
- Every lesion identified first
- Tags, milia, cysts, keratoses
- Doctor-led · Kensington
- Medically reviewed by Dr Prasad
This page sets out how benign skin lumps are identified, assessed and treated at Faciem, and is checked for clinical accuracy.
Last reviewed: 14 September 2026.
Patient information only. No lump can be identified from a photograph or a description, and treatment follows a face-to-face examination with Dr Prasad.
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TL;DR
Lumps and bumps on the skin are usually benign growths, and skin tags, milia, seborrhoeic keratoses, cysts, sebaceous hyperplasia and dermatofibromas account for most of them. They arrive with age, friction and sun exposure, and most cause no symptoms beyond catching on clothing or jewellery. Once a lesion has been identified, removal is straightforward — hyfrecation, cryotherapy, or minor surgery under local anaesthetic — but anything growing, bleeding or changing is examined before any of that is considered. Assessment and removal of benign skin lesions are available at Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic on Kensington Church St, London, led by Dr Prasad.
- Most are benign — but identified first
- Tags, milia, cysts, seborrhoeic keratoses
- Changing lesions examined, not removed
About the Condition
What Are Lumps and Bumps on the Skin?
Lumps and bumps is the everyday term for the small benign growths that collect on the skin over the years — skin tags, milia, seborrhoeic keratoses, cysts, sebaceous hyperplasia and dermatofibromas among them. They are harmless in themselves. Catching on clothing, rubbing under a strap, inflammation and appearance are the usual reasons people ask for one to be taken off.
What do the common skin lumps look like?
Skin tags are soft, skin-coloured flaps hanging from a narrow stalk, typically in the armpits, on the neck, in the groin and under the breasts, where skin rubs against skin. Milia are firm white pinpoint cysts of trapped keratin, most often on the eyelids and cheeks. Seborrhoeic keratoses are warty, slightly greasy brown or black plaques that look stuck onto the surface, not growing out of it. Epidermoid and pilar cysts are smooth, mobile lumps sitting under the skin, sometimes with a small central opening, and they can become red and tender. Sebaceous hyperplasia produces soft yellowish bumps with a dip in the middle, usually on the forehead and cheeks. Dermatofibromas are firm brown nodules, commonly on the legs, that dimple inwards when pinched.
Who gets lumps and bumps, and at what age?
Benign skin lesions become steadily more common with age, and most adults acquire several by their forties and fifties. Skin tags are associated with friction, raised body weight, diabetes and pregnancy, which is why they cluster in skin folds. Seborrhoeic keratoses run strongly in families and increase from the forties onwards, often appearing in crops on the trunk. Milia can occur at any age, including in newborns, and also after skin injury, burns or heavy occlusive creams. Sebaceous hyperplasia is more common in oily and sun-exposed skin and in older adults. Dermatosis papulosa nigra, the small dark papules seen across the cheeks in many people with black and brown skin, is a variant of seborrhoeic keratosis and behaves in the same benign way.
Which lumps can be mistaken for something serious?
A lump is examined before it is treated because a small number of skin cancers imitate benign growths closely. Basal cell carcinoma can look like sebaceous hyperplasia or a small cyst, but it tends to be pearly, to carry fine surface vessels and to bleed and scab repeatedly. Squamous cell carcinoma can resemble a stubborn wart that keeps enlarging. Melanoma without pigment can pass for a dermatofibroma or a harmless pink nodule. Cysts are sometimes confused with lipomas, which sit deeper and feel softer. A dermoscopic mole check separates most of these in minutes, which is why identification comes before any decision about removal. Benign growths are usually stable for years, so the pace of change tells a clinician more than the appearance at a single moment. Flat pigmented marks are a separate group, covered on our page on brown spots and freckles.
Causes & Contributing Factors
What Causes Lumps and Bumps?
Lumps and bumps develop for different reasons depending on the type. Friction, ageing skin, cumulative sun exposure, blocked ducts, enlarged oil glands and minor skin injury each produce a characteristic lesion. Genetics influence how many a person develops, which is why some people acquire dozens of seborrhoeic keratoses and others almost none.
Friction in skin folds
Repeated rubbing where skin meets skin or clothing encourages skin tags to form, which is why they concentrate on the neck, armpits, groin and under the breasts. They are more common with raised body weight and in pregnancy.
Ageing skin and sun exposure
Seborrhoeic keratoses and sebaceous hyperplasia both increase with age and accumulated ultraviolet exposure. The tendency to develop large numbers of seborrhoeic keratoses is often inherited and tends to declare itself from the forties onwards.
Trapped keratin and blocked ducts
Milia form when keratin becomes trapped in a tiny pocket beneath the surface, and epidermoid cysts form when a follicle or duct becomes blocked and its lining continues to shed inwards. Heavy occlusive creams and previous skin injury can both contribute.
Enlarged oil glands
Sebaceous hyperplasia occurs when an oil gland enlarges and becomes visible as a small yellowish bump with a central dip. It is more common in oily skin, in older adults, and in people taking certain immunosuppressive medicines.
Minor skin injury
Dermatofibromas often follow a small trauma such as an insect bite, a shaving nick or an ingrowing hair, and represent a localised area of scar-like tissue in the dermis. They are more frequently seen in women and most often on the lower legs.
Treatments We Offer
How Benign Lumps and Bumps Are Treated at Faciem
Treatment of a benign skin lump follows identification, never the other way round. Once the diagnosis is settled, the method is matched to the lesion, its site and your skin tone. Skin tone is graded on the Fitzpatrick scale before a method or a setting is chosen: Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin is treated routinely, but with lower energy, shorter freeze times and more space left between lesions in one sitting, because the complication being managed is post-inflammatory pigmentation around the treated spot rather than the lump itself. Superficial growths suit hyfrecation or cryotherapy; cysts and anything uncertain come away in one piece by shave excision or curettage under local anaesthetic; and raised deposits such as sebaceous hyperplasia and xanthelasma may be treated with a high-strength TCA solution, usually over one to three sessions.
01
Hyfrecation
Hyfrecation treats small raised lesions such as milia, skin tags and sebaceous hyperplasia with a fine probe carrying an electrical current, under local or topical anaesthetic. It suits lesions sitting on or just under the surface, including those on the face, where precision matters most.
Best for: milia, skin tags and sebaceous hyperplasia
Read about Hyfrecation
02
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy applies liquid nitrogen to destroy superficial lesions such as viral warts, sun damage and some seborrhoeic keratoses. It is used only where the diagnosis is beyond doubt, because freezing a lesion leaves no tissue for the laboratory to examine.
Best for: warts, sun damage and superficial keratoses
Read about Cryotherapy
03
Medical Consultation
A consultation establishes what a lump is before anything is done to it, using close examination and a dermatoscope. Where a lesion needs to come away whole, minor surgery under local anaesthetic — shave excision, curettage or electrocautery — keeps the tissue intact for laboratory analysis.
Best for: diagnosis, cysts and anything uncertain
Read about Medical Consultation
Removal of a benign skin lesion for appearance is generally not funded by the NHS and is arranged privately; what it involves depends on the lesion, how many are treated, the method chosen and whether tissue goes to the laboratory. Every method carries a risk of a small mark or colour change, more so in deeper skin tones, and suitability is decided at a face-to-face consultation with Dr Prasad.
When to Seek Medical Advice
When Should a Lump or Bump Be Checked?
Any lump that is growing, bleeding, changing colour or failing to settle should be examined before it is treated as a cosmetic matter. Benign growths are usually stable for years, so a lesion that has altered noticeably over weeks or months is the one to show a doctor promptly.
Worth getting checked
- A lump that is growing, or has changed shape or colour recently
- Bleeding, crusting or an area that scabs and reopens repeatedly
- A cyst that becomes red, hot, painful or starts discharging
- Any new lump appearing on sun-exposed skin after your forties
Conditions that can look similar
- Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma without pigment can all resemble benign lumps in their early stages, which is why removal for appearance alone is never the first step. Lipomas, neurofibromas and enlarged lymph nodes also present as lumps and need different assessment. Anything changing, bleeding, spreading or not settling should be seen in person, and where skin cancer is suspected the referral is made urgently.
Self-Care & Prevention
Watching a Skin Lump Safely at Home
Home care for lumps and bumps is mostly a matter of leaving them alone and watching them. Squeezing, picking and over-the-counter removal kits cause more scarring and infection than the lesions themselves, and they destroy the appearance a clinician needs to identify what is there.
Do
- Photograph a lump alongside a ruler, then repeat monthly, so change over three to six months is measurable
- Use broad-spectrum SPF 50 daily and all year round, since sun exposure drives many of these growths
- Keep skin folds dry and friction low: softer collars and straps, and loose cotton over the area for 48 hours after any treatment there
- Keep an inflamed cyst clean and covered, and have it seen within 48 hours if it is red, hot or discharging
Avoid
- Squeezing, picking or trying to burst a cyst or milium — a squeezed cyst can stay inflamed for two to three weeks
- Home removal kits, banding threads, wart paints and removal pens bought online
- Treating a lesion yourself before a clinician has identified it — a dermatoscopic look takes a couple of minutes
- Assuming a lump is harmless because it does not hurt — anything that has changed over six to eight weeks needs examining
This is general guidance and does not replace individual assessment. Which lesions can safely be treated, and by which method, depends on examination of your own skin, not on the type of lump alone.
Why Patients Choose Faciem
Identified First, Treated Second
Most lumps and bumps are entirely benign, and the small proportion that are not tend to look ordinary early on. Examination with a dermatoscope before treatment is what separates the two, and it takes very little time at your appointment in Kensington.
- Every lesion examined and identified before any treatment is offered
- Assessed by Dr Prasad, a GMC-registered doctor, not treated on appearance alone
- Tissue sent for laboratory analysis where the diagnosis needs confirming
- Method matched to the lesion, its site and your skin tone to limit marking
Experience & Expertise
Why a Lump Should Be Examined Before It Is Removed
The risk with benign skin lumps is not the lumps themselves but the assumption behind them. A skin cancer in its early stages is small, flesh-coloured or pink, and often causes no symptoms at all, which is precisely how a harmless lump behaves. Treating such a lesion cosmetically destroys the tissue a pathologist would need and delays a diagnosis that rewards being made early. Dr Prasad, who has 20 years’ experience in dermatology, examines every lesion with a dermatoscope first; where the appearance is not clearly benign, the lesion is removed in a way that preserves it for laboratory analysis, or referred on. That examination also settles which method suits the site, since eyelids, faces and deeper skin tones need a lighter touch than the back.
- Dr Anamica Prasad — MBChB (1999), Dip Dermatology (2001), MRCGP, DFFP, DRCOG · a GMC-registered doctor
- Member of the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), British Medical Laser Association (BMLA), Royal Society of Medicine and the Aesthetic Complications Group
- Clinic operated by Derma Medical UK Ltd, registered with the Care Quality Commission for diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures, and treatment of disease, disorder or injury · CQC Location ID 1-25573003746
- Dermatoscopic examination of every lesion before treatment is considered
- 20 years’ experience in dermatology, across benign and suspicious skin lesions
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Lumps and Bumps FAQs
Your Questions, Answered
Short answers to what people ask about skin lumps before they book. Anything specific to your own lesion is settled by looking at it.
How soon can I go back to work or exercise after a lump is removed?
Desk-based work is usually possible the same day. After hyfrecation or cryotherapy the treated spot crusts within a day or two and can be covered, so little is lost from the diary. After minor surgery under local anaesthetic, keep the dressing dry for 24 to 48 hours and leave strenuous exercise, swimming, saunas and steam rooms for a week; where stitches are used they come out roughly five to fourteen days later, depending on the site.
Are lumps and bumps on the skin dangerous?
The large majority of skin lumps are entirely benign. Each one is examined because basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma without pigment can look similar in their early stages, when they are small, symptomless and easy to dismiss. A lump that grows, bleeds, crusts repeatedly or changes appearance should be assessed promptly, not watched.
Do skin tags and other benign lumps go away on their own?
Most benign skin lumps persist. Milia in newborns usually clear without treatment, and an inflamed cyst may quieten down for a while, but skin tags, seborrhoeic keratoses, dermatofibromas and sebaceous hyperplasia generally stay put and slowly increase in number with age. A skin tag can occasionally twist and drop off on its own, though that is the exception.
Can I wear makeup after a lump has been removed from my face?
Leave makeup off the treated spot until the surface has sealed. That is usually about 48 hours after hyfrecation, and five to seven days after cryotherapy or minor surgery, once any crust has separated on its own. Makeup elsewhere on the face is fine straight away. Foundation applied over an open or crusted area risks infection and pigment settling into healing skin, so wash brushes and sponges before they go near it again.
How are benign skin lumps removed?
Removal depends on what the lesion is. Superficial growths often suit hyfrecation or cryotherapy, while cysts and anything uncertain are better taken away whole by shave excision or curettage, so the tissue can be sent for analysis. Minor surgery is carried out under local anaesthetic in the clinic, and identification always comes first.
Does having a skin lump removed hurt?
Most people find removal more comfortable than they expect. The area is cleaned and local anaesthetic is injected, after which the usual sensation is pressure rather than pain, and the numbness lasts a few hours afterwards. Dressings are supplied for the treated area, with advice on showering and on avoiding strenuous exercise while it heals.
Will removing a skin lump leave a scar?
Any removal leaves some mark, and the aim is to keep it as small as possible. Scars after minor skin surgery typically heal like small chicken pox marks, often shrinking and fading over the months that follow. How the skin heals depends on aftercare: keeping the area clean to limit infection, and keeping it soft and supple. If a scar darkens or thickens, prescription treatments can help.
Sources & Further Reading
- Skin tags — NHS
- Seborrhoeic keratosis patient information leaflet — British Association of Dermatologists
- Milium and milia — DermNet NZ
These are general sources of patient information and do not replace individual medical assessment. What a particular lump is, and whether it needs treating, is established at consultation.
Lumps and Bumps in Kensington, London
A Doctor-Led Clinic in the Heart of Kensington
Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic sits on Kensington Church St, a few minutes’ walk from High Street Kensington station and roughly ten from Notting Hill Gate, with the Kensington council underground car park close by. Assessment appointments run Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm. Most people arrive with one lump they want a name for and leave the same day knowing what it is; where several have accumulated, bring them all to the one appointment and each is examined in turn.
Plan Your Visit
- Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic
- Phone: +44 20 7131 3539
- 7 Kensington Church St, London W8 4LF, United Kingdom
- Tube: High Street Kensington (few minutes’ walk) · Notting Hill Gate (~10 minutes)
- Parking: Kensington council underground car park nearby
- Open Monday–Saturday, 10am–7pm · Sunday closed
- Lesion assessment bookable online; treatment planned once the diagnosis is clear
- Consultation-first — no treatment without medical assessment
- Serving Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill & Central London
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Faciem Dermatology & Medical Clinic · Kensington
Not Sure What That Lump Is?
Book a consultation with Dr Prasad and the lesion is examined with a dermatoscope, named, and treated only if treating it is the right call. Book online or call +44 20 7131 3539.
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