Any idea what this shoulder "button" is?

[divingbiker]

Before I decide to go to the doctor about this, I thought I'd see if any of you have any idea what this weird bump is on my shoulder. It's about the size of a button, and there are two of them close together under the skin. I've attempted to take a picture, but it's a little tricky to operate the camera at such close range with my left hand. If the big mole is at the center of a clock, the button is at about 8 o'clock. Thanks!

[alpinerabbit]

is it new? is it painful?

not likely an enlarged lymph node (or maybe? have you been fighting off a cold?), maybe a benign cyst/lipoma, maybe an enlarged bursa?

go and show it to your doc...

[Selkie]

Does it move around? Please go get it checked out.

[divingbiker]

is it new? is it painful?

not likely an enlarged lymph node (or maybe? have you been fighting off a cold?), maybe a benign cyst/lipoma, maybe an enlarged bursa?

go and show it to your doc...

It's been there for a few months, no pain, no recovery from a cold. It doesn't feel like the fat lumps my dogs have (seems to be attached and is fairly firm).

[Selkie]

Your big mole scares me, too (I've had some moles removed...). Please make an appt.

I wonder---do ganglion cysts happen at the shoulder, since it's a joint? I have one on my wrist - just showed up a month ago - doesn't hurt, doesn't move, is firm.

[divingbiker]

Your big mole scares me, too (I've had some moles removed...).

Actually, it's not really a mole, just a dark spot, and has been checked many times. That's what happens to 52-year-old skin after spending every day as a kid at the swimming pool getting blistering sunburns in the days before sunscreen!

I guess I'll make a doctor appt for January...

[Zen]

My diagnoses is benign abnormal cell growth.
DNA and RNA can only transcribe and transpose so many times before making an error in coding.

According to this Wikipedia article, it's not a ganglion cyst.

Twenty dollars, please. Payable in jam
can I call you Lumpy now?

[divingbiker]

My diagnoses is benign abnormal cell growth.
DNA and RNA can only transcribe and transpose so many times before making an error in coding.

Twenty dollars, please. Payable in jam
can I call you Lumpy now?

And so what is the treatment for benign abnormal cell growth, Dr. Zen?

You can call me Lumpy if you'd like, I guess, but it won't earn you any jam.

[Zen]

And so what is the treatment for benign abnormal cell growth, Dr. Zen?

Bed rest and sweets.

[alpinerabbit]

Just to make the basics of possible skin cancer more clear to everyone (what the picture shows there is called an age spot in my language*, it's just a pigment irregularity.)

The ABCDE of skin cancer:

A- Asymmetry:
Normal moles or freckles are completely symmetrical. If you were to draw a line through a normal spot, you would have two symmetrical halves. In cases of skin cancer, spots will not look the same on both sides.
B- Border:
A mole or spot with blurry and/or jagged edges.
C- Color:
A mole that is more than one hue is suspicious and needs to be evaluated by a doctor. Normal spots are usually one color. This can include lightening or darkening of the mole.
D- Diameter:
If it is larger than a pencil eraser (about 1/4 inch or 6mm), it needs to be examined by a doctor. This includes areas that do not have any other abnormalities (color, border, asymmetry).
E- Elevation:
Elevation means the mole is raised above the surface and has an uneven surface.


* oops - did I just say that?

[Selkie]

Alpine - Thanks for posting that info.

A yearly skin cancer check is important, particularly for those of us who spend a lot of time outdoors and are fair skinned. You cannot be too careful. I have a family history of melanoma and have several suspicious moles removed. That's why I'm sensitive to this topic.

[divingbiker]

Finally went to the doctor today, and the "button" is a benign sebaceous cyst. Nothing to worry about unless it bothers me, and then it can be removed.

[Zen]

I have some instruments i only used once in anatomy class.
Dissection of a cow eye, I believe it was.

A simple outpatient procedure

[Selkie]

Finally went to the doctor today, and the "button" is a benign sebaceous cyst. Nothing to worry about unless it bothers me, and then it can be removed.

Thanks for updating us. Coincidentally, I was thinking of your "button" the other day! Glad to hear it's nothing serious.

Stay away from Zen and her scalpel!!

[Trek420]

The ABCDE of skin cancer:

A- Asymmetry:
Normal moles or freckles are completely symmetrical. If you were to draw a line through a normal spot, you would have two symmetrical halves. In cases of skin cancer, spots will not look the same on both sides.
B- Border:
A mole or spot with blurry and/or jagged edges.
C- Color:
A mole that is more than one hue is suspicious and needs to be evaluated by a doctor. Normal spots are usually one color. This can include lightening or darkening of the mole.
D- Diameter:
If it is larger than a pencil eraser (about 1/4 inch or 6mm), it needs to be examined by a doctor. This includes areas that do not have any other abnormalities (color, border, asymmetry).
E- Elevation:
Elevation means the mole is raised above the surface and has an uneven surface.


* oops - did I just say that?

F - find a doctor
G - go, just to be sure
H - have some jam