You may have felt the appearance of lumps in the armpits, especially during menstruation or when sick. Is this condition dangerous?
Armpit lumps can be experienced by both men and women. Generally, this is a normal situation and this condition will subside as your health condition improves.
Understanding the Causes of Lumps in the Armpit
There are various causes of lumps in the armpits, including bacterial infections, cysts, irritation, allergies due to using deodorant or the wrong shaving tool, and it could also be because skin tags, which is a type of wart on the surface of the skin that often rubs against the surrounding skin. These lumps are completely harmless and do not need special treatment.
However, a lump in the armpit can also be a sign of a serious illness, for example if the lump doesn't hurt and doesn't shrink. It's a good idea to get checked out if you experience these symptoms, because there are various causes of lumps in the armpit that can be an indication of a serious disorder, such as:
- Vaccination side effects.
- viral infection.
- Fibroadenoma or abnormal growth of fibrous tissue, but not cancer.
- Breast cancer.
- Lymphoma: cancer of the lymph system.
- Leukemia: blood cancer of the bone marrow.
In general, an examination of other possible causes of a lump in the armpit begins with a question about the changes that have occurred and is there any pain felt.
The doctor will also ask whether you are breastfeeding or not, and if there are other symptoms that accompany the condition. The doctor will then examine the lump by pressing or massaging it gently.
If it is deemed necessary to carry out further examination, the doctor may recommend:
- Complete blood count to check the levels of red and white blood cells in the body's system.
- Mammography to see the shape of the lump more closely.
- Allergy test.
- A biopsy is taking a sample of lump tissue for examination in the laboratory.
How to treat lump in armpit?
Handling a lump in the armpit depends on the cause. Generally, this condition does not require special treatment, other than pain medication and warm compresses to relieve discomfort.
This treatment can be applied if the lump is caused by a harmless condition, such as a viral infection, lipoma and fibroadenoma. Lumps caused by viral infections usually get smaller on their own. While the lump caused by a lipoma will usually remain, but is not dangerous.
Meanwhile, lumps caused by bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics. Bumps caused by allergies can be treated with anti-allergic medications, and by avoiding the use of objects that pose a risk of allergies, such as deodorant cream or shaving tools.
However, if after examination it turns out that the lump in the armpit is identified as cancer, treatment needs to be done with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
So, you should be aware of the appearance of lumps in the armpits early on by doing a self-examination at home. Immediately consult a doctor if you feel there is an oddity in your body, to get a proper diagnosis.