There are literally hundreds of different kinds of lumps and bumps associated with the skin. Fortunately, the vast majority of these are harmless and painless. Common examples are warts & verrucas, skin tags, vascular lesions such as ‘cherry angiomas’ and pigmented lesions such as ‘pigmented warts’ (seborrhoeic keratosis). Some people might also have a tendency for ‘overgrowing’ scars (hypertrophic scars or keloids), which can be very distressing.

Warts and verrucas are benign lesions on the skin, caused by a virus called HPV (human papilloma virus). They can take on a wide variety of different shapes and may appear as flat lesions on the face (plane warts), rough-surfaced lesions on the hands or verrucas; warts growing on the sole of the feet. All of these can be treated with cryotherapy (‘freezing’) or with creams or paints.

Skin tags are harmless lesions, often appearing around the armpits, on the neck or on other parts of the trunk. They can be single or arise in large numbers. Because they often grow on a small stalk they might easily catch on clothes or simply be unsightly. Again all of these can be removed simply by cryotherapy (‘freezing’) on the day.

Vascular lesions are harmless little, red blemishes such as ‘cherry angiomas’ or ‘vascular spiders’. Although these are benign, removal for cosmetic reasons can be done easily, again using cryotherapy (‘freezing’), cautery (‘burning off’) or laser therapy.

Pigmented warts or seborrhoeic keratoses often occur as we get older, and many of us will develop these on the trunk. At times they can be difficult to distinguish from sinister pigmented lesions such as a melanoma skin cancer. If there is any doubt make an appointment to see us at your earliest convenience.

Sebaceous cyst is a swelling in the skin when a gland or a duct becomes blocked. These are usually not painful but may become so when infected. They can be easily removed by minor surgery.