There is a hard lump on the right side of my neck

The neck is a relatively sensitive part of our body. Any abnormality in this area is easily detected. There are many possible reasons for the hard lump on the right side of the neck. The most common reasons are swollen lymph nodes, acne, folliculitis and cysts. The specific reason requires further examination, especially the first one, which is more harmful and needs to be clarified and resolved in time.

Swollen lymph nodes

Hard bumps on the neck are usually swollen lymph nodes, which are usually caused by inflammation, but they can also be simple swollen lymph nodes. In this article, we will look at the causes of swollen lymph nodes.

How to identify swollen lymph nodes in the neck

Palpation: Lymph nodes that are soft, tender, smooth, and free of adhesions indicate acute nonspecific inflammation, such as purulent tonsillitis. Lymph node tuberculosis is often the case when the tumors are multiple, of varying sizes, soft in texture, and may be accompanied by adhesions around blood vessels.

When the texture is hard, non-tender, easy to adhere and fixed, it usually indicates lymph node metastasis of malignant tumor. Lymph node metastases in the neck are mostly caused by primary lesions in the head and face. Among them, nasopharyngeal carcinoma has the highest incidence and is prone to early metastasis.

Auxiliary examinations: In addition to physical examination and palpation, blood count, puncture smear pathological examination, CT and radionuclide scanning can help diagnose the cause of swollen lymph nodes.

Acne

Hard pimples on the neck are most likely caused by acne. Acne on the neck is very common. The occurrence of this situation will seriously affect the patient's image, so many patients want to find a way to remove it. In fact, it is not difficult to find such a method. As long as the cause is understood, the corresponding treatment can be carried out. There are many sites for acne to occur. For the more obvious sites, timely care should be provided. The appearance of acne is generally due to the blockage of pores caused by the disorder of sebaceous gland metabolism. This causes Propionibacterium acnes to multiply in the skin, resulting in a series of skin inflammatory reactions. Scars are easily left after healing, so it is necessary to use acne removal methods to quickly treat it. At present, there are many reasons that can cause hard bumps on the neck, such as irregular living habits, frequent consumption of spicy and irritating foods, greasy foods, etc., which can cause acne on the neck, so patients should also pay attention to these aspects to avoid improper factors affecting the patient's condition.

Folliculitis

If the small hard lumps on the neck are folliculitis, they will initially appear as red, solid papules or follicular pustule, and then rapidly develop into papular pustule, with hair running through the middle and redness and inflammation around it, followed by drying and scabbing. They will heal after the scabs fall off in about a week, but they may recur and not heal for many years. Some may also develop into deep infection, forming furuncles, carbuncles, etc., which generally do not leave scars. The number of rashes is large, isolated and scattered, and the patient feels mild pain. In adults, it mainly occurs in hairy areas, and in children, it is more common on the head. The rashes can sometimes merge with each other, and small bald spots may remain after healing.

If it is folliculitis, it is best to get it checked out. Don't touch it with your hands. If it is broken, it may infect the surrounding healthy skin. If it is folliculitis, eat less spicy food and try to eat lighter food. Also, avoid alcohol. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Pyrosis

If you have hard bumps on your neck, they may be what we often call "cysts". Sebaceous cyst, commonly known as "sebaceous cyst", is a retention cyst formed mainly due to obstruction of the sebaceous gland excretion duct, which causes the sebaceous gland cystic epithelium to swell with gradually increasing contents. It is characterized by a slowly growing benign lesion. There is white bean curd-like secretion in the cyst. It can occur at any age, but is more common in young and middle-aged people, and is prone to occur on the head, face, neck, chest and back. Sebaceous cysts protrude from the surface of the skin and generally have no subjective symptoms. If secondary infection occurs, they may cause pain and suppuration.

Sebaceous cysts protrude from the surface of the skin and are prone to occur in areas rich in sebaceous glands, such as the scalp, face, chest and back, and most of them grow slowly. When there is no concurrent infection, patients generally have no symptoms. The tumors are spherical, single or multiple, and vary in size, ranging from a few millimeters to nearly 10 centimeters. It is of medium hardness and elasticity, protruding from the skin surface, adhered to the skin, not easy to push, with a smooth surface and no sense of fluctuation. There is a needle-head-sized umbilicus-like opening in the center, which is blue-black in color and shaped like a needle-head acne. Squeezing can produce tofu dregs or noodle mud-like contents, which are sebum and broken sebaceous gland cells, often with a rancid odor. It is extremely rare for sebaceous cysts to become cancerous, but they are prone to secondary infection. If infection occurs, inflammatory reactions such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain may occur. The cyst may rupture and temporarily disappear under external force, but it will form scars and is prone to recurrence.