About Bumps and Growths Treatment Services
Googling a bump on your skin rarely ends with reassurance. An in-person exam does.
At Charleston Dermatology, our physicians and providers can usually identify a growth on sight or with dermoscopy, and when there’s any doubt, a quick biopsy gives a definitive answer. Knowing what a growth is—and isn’t—is the whole ballgame.
Treatment plans are built around the diagnosis. Harmless growths can be left alone or removed if they’re irritated or bothersome, using options like cryotherapy, excision, or drainage for cysts. Anything suspicious gets biopsied and treated appropriately. Answers start with an exam. Schedule a visit and let our team take a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of bumps and growths are common on the skin?
Common benign growths include cysts (sacs under the skin), skin tags, lipomas (soft fatty lumps), seborrheic keratoses (waxy, stuck-on spots), dermatofibromas (firm small bumps, often on the legs), and cherry angiomas (small red spots). Most are harmless, but new, changing, bleeding, or painful growths should always be evaluated.
When should I worry about a bump or growth?
See a provider promptly if a growth is growing quickly, changing color or shape, bleeding, crusting, not healing, or painful. Also come in if you simply aren’t sure what something is—identifying growths accurately is exactly what we do, and an exam takes minutes.
How are bumps and growths removed?
It depends on the growth. Skin tags can be snipped or frozen, cysts can be excised or drained, and seborrheic keratoses can be frozen with liquid nitrogen. If a growth needs testing, we remove it in a way that allows the lab to examine it. Most removals are quick, in-office procedures done under local anesthetic.