Skin cysts and tumours are non-cancerous closed pouches of tissue that are filled with fluid or keratin material. They are usually painless, hard to touch in some cases and are sometimes soft to feel. They grow right beneath the skin surface or under the first layer of the skin. Skin tumours are an abnormal growth of the skin tissue which can be cancerous at times, or harmless. Skin tumours occur commonly with age.
Few Common Non-Cancerous Tumors Include:
- Warts (skin tumour resulting from a virus)
- Seborrheic keratoses (growth on the skin ranging from light skin colour to dark brown)
- Skin Cysts
- Nevi (skin growth such as birthmarks or dark, bumpy moles)
Causes Of Skin Tumors/ Swelling
Treatment
Some skin swellings disappear without any medication or treatment. Some tumours may need treatment involving an incision into the cyst and draining out the pus or keratinized fluid. Swellings that do not respond to any treatments and medications must be surgically removed and tested to rule out any possibility of a cancerous growth or a relapse.
Usually, no treatment is required for benign skin tumours. However, some methods that are used to treat skin tumours may include:
- Curettage and electrodesiccation: This involves scraping away the tumour/swelling tissues with surgical instruments. An electrosurgical unit is then used to control the bleeding.
- Surgical excision: This involves slicing into the skin, removing the extra growth. After the tumour is removed, the surgeon stitches the wound with sutures.
- Cryosurgery: In this procedure, liquid nitrogen is sprayed on the skin directly, or an instrument is used to freeze the swollen tissue/tumour.
