There is no need to worry too much if you notice a lump or ball on the back of your head. Most of them, as a rule, do not pose any danger. However, it is recommended to visit a doctor after the appearance of such a formation, especially if it causes concern, in order to establish a correct diagnosis.
Painful balls or bumps on the back of the head that appear suddenly within a day or two can be caused by infection or injury. If the formation was caused by an infection, the area around it will be red and warm to the touch. You can always consult a doctor for advice. A lump in the neck or back of the head most often represents:
- Injury. You may, for example, hit something and unconsciously not notice it or soon forget it
- Enlarged lymph nodes . Usually indicates that you have an infection.
- Skin tumors are harmless soft and less often hard growths on the skin that are a cosmetic defect.
- Cysts are fluid-filled bumps that may go away on their own. They usually do not require any medical treatment.
But there are other reasons, which are discussed in more detail below.
Reasons for appearance
Most often, a lump or tumor on the head is:
- result of injury;
- lipoma;
- trichoepithelioma;
- osteoma;
- atheroma;
- fibroma;
- fibrosarcoma;
- wart;
- furuncle;
- consequence of an insect bite;
- manifestation of allergies;
- hemangioma;
- enlarged lymph node.
The list of possible diseases is large, and it is not always possible to determine by eye, by external signs, what specific type of tumor it is. Therefore, when a lump is detected in the occipital region, it is necessary to contact a specialist.
Which doctor should I contact?
First of all, you should contact a therapist, who, if necessary, will prescribe an examination and refer you to another specialist.
This could be, for example, a surgeon, dermatologist or oncologist. X-rays can be used as a diagnostic method, with the help of which osteoma (tumor of the skull bones) can be easily determined.
Sometimes it is necessary to undergo an ultrasound to obtain information about soft tissues and the presence of fluid.
Hair loss with follicles: how to cope with the problem
Most people, when they see their hair falling out with a white tip, assume that it is the root. In reality, this is not entirely true. In this article we will tell you how our curls are structured, what happens to them during hair loss, and what to do if the hair falls out along with the hair bulb.
In addition, physiotherapy procedures are often additionally prescribed, for example, laser shower, electroporation, elements of mesotherapy and acupressure of the scalp. Folk remedies for active alopecia are almost never used because they are not sufficiently effective. However, some experts advise rubbing mumiyo into the scalp twice a day.
After consulting with a professional trichologist, you should undergo the necessary examination, which may include the following tests:
How I found my ideal hair growth product
Hello dear! I want to share with you my solution to the sensitive problem of hair loss . The problems are very serious, at least for me. I would never have thought that this misfortune would touch me, especially at the age of 29 (read more...)
Trauma after impact
This situation is the most common cause of a tumor on the head.
Such formations usually go away on their own, without medical intervention. However, if the following symptoms are observed, a visit to the doctor is required:
- attacks of nausea or vomiting;
- fainting;
- dizzy;
- increased body temperature;
- the pain does not go away for a long time.
If the back of the head is damaged by the blow, for the pain to go away, you need to apply a cold compress to the injury site and hold it for up to 15 minutes, but no more, to prevent frostbite.
It is also possible to apply gels and ointments to the site of the injury.
About hair loss, for those interested
So, to restore hair damaged due to coloring, perm, excess ultraviolet radiation, frequent use of a hair dryer, frequent hair washing, you need to ensure that the components contain: keratin, hydrolyzed proteins (for example, silk proteins), amino acids, ceramides, vegetable oils (peach, avocado , coconut, jojoba, orchids, shea), emulsions with phospholipids, lactic acid, chitosan, unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic, linolenic), and such modern components as silicones (dimethicone, cyclomethicone) . If the hair shafts are characterized by increased dryness, then useful ingredients that retain moisture will be glycerin, sorbitol, urea, polysaccharides . Such preparations are worthy of attention because they contain the necessary structural components of hair and will cope with their function effectively. It is also useful to have a humidifier at home, because dry air is harmful to hair and skin, and our heating season is long.
Many of us, faced with intense hair loss, begin to carefully examine the shape of the lost hair and, with horror, discover that the hair is falling out along with the bulb - a white thickening at the end. This discovery increases the fear - if the hair falls out with the bulb, it means it will not grow back! In fact, hair cannot fall out in any other way: the hair follicle is an integral part of the hair. The main thing is that the so-called hair follicle, in which the hair was located until it fell out, remains in place, and it contains all the structures necessary for the formation of the next hair. This mechanism, developed evolutionarily, is very reliable. The amount of hair growing corresponds to the amount of hair falling out, but sometimes it fails.
“Today I decided to write about hair, because this is the second time I’ve been faced with the problem of hair loss: the first time after giving birth, well, it went nowhere, but a few months ago the problem returned, and now it worries me much more. So I decided to delve into the net and find answers to my questions. And now I would like to share interesting, in my opinion, facts and debunk misconceptions, some of which I myself was a victim of.
Lipoma
This tumor is essentially benign and consists of fatty tissue. Most often it appears in areas covered with hair, in some cases on the forehead. The cause of the appearance may be certain pathologies, hereditary predisposition or a metabolic problem.
In this case, the lump in the back of the head is dense in structure, has a spherical shape and can move under the skin. If you do not take action, it sometimes reaches large sizes, thereby complicating the functioning of blood vessels and causing headaches. Self-medication will not help here, so you need to contact a surgeon to remove the lump.
Treatment of cones
Depending on the type of lump and its size, excision followed by suturing of the wound is usually considered. For flat and superficial types, excochleation can be performed, which is scraping off the growth using a sharp surgical spoon. A lump can be removed using a laser, which is most popular among patients, but is not suitable for removing all benign skin lesions. The use of electrocautery is recommended only in specific cases. Cryotherapy, the removal of the lump by applying low temperature (mostly using liquid nitrogen), is most often used to treat viral warts; The procedure is most often performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia, its duration does not exceed 20 minutes.
Osteoma
If a bone lump appears on the back of the head, it may be osteoma.
With this disease, a bone tumor is formed, which is benign in nature. The formation of the cone is slow. The risk group mainly includes children (most often boys) over 4 years of age and young men under 21 years of age. In some cases, the development of the tumor is accompanied by pain. The tumor is spherical, with clear edges, hard, like bone. It occurs due to hereditary predisposition (more than half of cases) or as a result of injury, rheumatism, gout or syphilis. Osteoma does not go away without surgery.
Types of formations
What are these balls that appear under the scalp of children and adults, including on the back of the head? What might their appearance indicate? Let us consider in detail which diseases are accompanied by such symptoms.
Zhiroviki
Benign formations under the skin are called wen. Their size can be from 2-3 mm to several cm.
Wen are characterized as follows:
- Forms under the skin over a long period of time. Then it begins to appear in the form of a small ball, noticeable to the touch.
- When touched and pressed, the wen does not cause any unpleasant sensations.
- The appearance of a wen can occur anywhere in the location of adipose tissue.
The vast majority of lumps are benign neoplasms, and only in rare cases can growing lumps affect a person’s well-being.
Lipoma
Lipoma is one of the most benign neoplasms .
The source of the disease is the adipose tissue of the human body. Lipoma usually appears in the subcutaneous fat of the back, neck, limbs, as well as in internal organs, meninges, heart cavities, and retroperitoneal space. This arrangement can be very dangerous, as there is a risk of compression of organs and tissues. Lipomas located in body cavities have a tendency to malignancy.
Upon examination, the lipoma looks like a small node, clearly felt upon palpation, not connected with the surrounding tissues and does not damage them. It is usually soft to the touch, but as the volume of connective tissue increases, it becomes stiffer (fibrolipoma).
The blood supply to the lipoma is increased . A large number of newly formed vessels makes it possible to distinguish its type - angiolipoma.
The dimensions sometimes exceed 3-5 cm, but painless growth can lead to the formation of a node up to 10 cm or more. Usually, it is the location of these formations in open areas of the body that forces the patient to seek medical help.
Atheroma
Atheroma - translated from Greek means “soft tumor”, sebaceous gland cyst . When manifested, it closes the ducts of the sebaceous gland and prevents its normal functioning. It looks like a small subcutaneous growth that is soft to the touch and does not cause pain. Usually appears under the skin with hair.
Characteristic signs of atheroma:
clear convexity, dense and elastic;- when pressed, it moves to the side;
- the sebaceous duct in the center of the cyst is clearly visible.
In case of inflammation, atheroma is diagnosed by a doctor based on the following signs::
- painful sensations when touched;
- redness and slight swelling in the area of the cyst;
- frequent cases of breakthrough of purulent masses.
Hygromas
Hygroma is an encysted formation in the form of a tumor, filled with serous-fibrinous or serous-mucosal fluid. It is a benign cystic tumor. Most often it is located in the area of the wrist joint, on the hand, in the area of the foot and ankle joint. The main reasons are unhealthy heredity and injury.
Small hygromas, as a rule, do not cause any discomfort. When they grow or are near nerve endings, pain or decreased sensitivity may appear. Hygromas never progress to the malignant stage of development . They do not pose a danger to life.
To treat hygroma, a surgical method is used - removal. Treatment with drugs in this case practically does not bring results.
Purulent and inflammatory formations
Purulent formations appear both on the face and on the scalp.
Most often, they are caused by gram-positive anaerobic bacteria. Mechanical impact on the rash causes severe pain. The danger of ulcers lies in their possible complications and the formation of ulcers . Before starting treatment, it is necessary to find out the cause of the disease and only then select the necessary therapy. Correct diagnosis contributes to a faster recovery.
Most often, the appearance and development of purulent rashes is influenced by the following factors:
- hormonal imbalance (age-related or cyclical);
- excessive activity of the sebaceous glands on the head;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- polycystic ovary syndrome;
- adrenal gland diseases;
- infections that manifest themselves against the background of damage to the skin.
External factors cause the appearance of ulcers on the scalp:
- taking anabolic steroids or hormonal drugs;
- a large amount of carbohydrates in consumed foods;
- neglect of personal hygiene rules;
- a large amount of chlorine in water for washing hair;
- allergic reaction to hair care cosmetics;
- alcohol and tobacco abuse;
- allergic reaction;
- pillows and combs made of synthetic materials;
- negative effects of low temperature on the scalp.
Malignant growths
Malignant growths are skin cancers.
- Melanoma . It looks like a flat formation with a rough surface. Melanoma grows rapidly with subsequent metastases.
- Basalioma . Outwardly, it looks like a white knot, covered with a crust on top. If the diagnosis is not made in time and treatment is not started, it develops into squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp.
- Epithelioma . Another one of the malignant tumors. With this disease, metastases very quickly spread to the lymph nodes, so it is also considered one of the most dangerous.
Atheroma
This formation appears on the back of the head due to blockage of the sebaceous glands. The structure is dense, with clearly defined contours. Like osteoma, growth is slow, and at the initial stage the tumor does not cause concern to the patient. However, in the future it can increase to the size of a chicken egg.
In this case, injury to the atheroma, infection and the development of further complications are possible. Therefore, when atheroma appears, surgical intervention is necessary, especially if the person has an elevated temperature.
Warts
They can be located in the form of bumps on the forehead above the eyebrows and not only, causing unpleasant sensations to the person. However, they do not cause any pain. Quite a lot of warts form over a person’s entire life, and they do not have to be removed.
The exception is the occurrence of various infections. The reason why warts appear is infection with the human papillomavirus. They are capable of growing and reaching a size of 0.5 cm. For warts on the head under the hair, treatment will consist of several stages, the implementation of which guarantees getting rid of the bumps on the head. First, a sick person should consult a dermatologist, who will prescribe a histological examination, as well as dermatoscopy. Then a medicinal course of treatment will be prescribed, including antiviral drugs of general and local action. In some cases, laser wart removal is used.
Boils
When a lump on the head hurts when pressed, it could be a boil.
It has obvious external differences from other formations - a white rod under the skin saturated with blood vessels. Boils usually cause throbbing pain, swelling, redness and fever. The pain may only go away after surgical treatment in the hospital.
Diesel Forum
p.s.: as for me, I think that it is better to accustom yourself to take care of your hair in advance, well, periodically the body cleanses itself of toxins, go on a diet, drink vitamins, and of course masks, balms, sprays, etc.
Pysy: I’ll probably continue to periodically make a pepper mask for myself, since I don’t have an advanced version, it should help.
By the way, about the scrub! I read a lot about him on the internet and did it. I did this: salt + chamomile infusion + a couple of drops of rosemary + yolk. The impression left was twofold: when I washed my hair, the entire bathtub was full of hair. Moreover, it always got in my way when washing, but so be it! I was already scared, I thought I would go bald. But then the hair didn’t come out until the next wash. I looked and there was no hair on the sweaters. I got the impression that before he climbed gradually, little by little and constantly, and after the scrub once, all at once.
Insect bites
Bites from certain insects often lead to bumps. These can be mosquitoes, bees, wasps, gadflies and midges. The bite site sometimes becomes red, swollen, and painful when pressed. Itching and local fever appear. For treatment, it is necessary to treat the bite site with soap and apply a cold compress.
If the swelling continues to grow, then you should take some anti-allergy medications. Such formations are usually dealt with by a dermatologist or allergist.
Lymph nodes at the back of the head
If a lump appears on the back of your head, it may be an enlarged lymph node.
In this case, the skin does not change color. The causes can be a variety of diseases - from tuberculosis to cancer or AIDS. Associated symptoms are fever, attacks of nausea, pain, a crunch when pressing the seal on the back of the head, and lack of appetite. This disease indicates the patient’s reduced immunity. If you detect inflamed lymph nodes, you should immediately contact a specialist.
