Do you suffer from armpit cysts yet you do not know why? Cysts on underarms is a problem that affects both male and female, they are mostly painless but can also be painful if infected. We have information on not just the causes of underarm cysts but also symptoms, sebaceous cysts, removal treatments, home remedies, and much more.
Cysts are non-cancerous closed sacs or closed pockets of tissue that can be filled with fluid, pus, or other material with their outer wall known as a capsule. If you touched them, they feel like peas (or pimple-like) beneath your skin surface (and on your internal organs such as kidney, liver, etc.) and they can appear anywhere. People all ages and gender can have cysts i.e. they can be on both men and women of all ages. In our discussion today, we are going to focus on armpit cysts or underarm cysts.
The most common cyst that will affect your underarm are the acne, sebaceous cysts and epidermal inclusion cysts. However, you can also get the pilonidal cysts although they normally occur on the skin near the cleft of the buttocks.
Armpit cyst symptoms
Armpit cysts could be small (microscopic) or large and noticeable. These cysts will be on and around or near your armpits (cyst near armpit) and can be caused by a number of causes we are going to discuss. The symptoms you expect might be related to the cause of the armpit cyst causes.
The most obvious underarm cyst symptom is the abnormal lump-like structure that might develop on your underarm. Another symptom is the fact that most cysts are painless (unless raptured, infected or inflamed), grow slowly and they are smooth to the touch when they are rolled under the skin.
What causes cyst underarm?
To effectively remove or treat armpit cysts, you must know the reasons why they are coming or their cause. Of course, there are many causes and diagnosis by professional healthcare personnel might be important. Some of the most common or possible underarm cysts causes include the following.
Shaving and use of deodorants
Cyst in the armpit can be caused by shaving especially if they occur in adolescents who have just begun shaving their underarm hair. Adults can also have armpit cysts due to shaving. Furthermore, the use of antiperspirant or deodorant may also encourage cysts. Proper shaving technique are often advised.
Cysts under armpit due to bacterial infection
Moist, and little light in armpits can encourage bacterial growth especially which can them get into your skin, causing cysts especially streptococcal and staphylococcal infections. Most people end up with enlarged lymph nodes too when this happens. Antibiotic and other bacterial treatment options are often advised.
Viral and fungal infection
Some fungal and viral infections could be behind the cysts under armpits. For instance, sporotrichosis, shingle, chickenpox and some problems that may result from HIV AIDS due to weakened immunity may cause these them.
Cyst under arm cancer
The presence of a lump on your armpits could be a sign of lymphoma cancer that results from a collection of damaged lymphocytes at the affected node. The swelling may ache and if cancer begins to spread, expect symptoms such as fatigue, fever, night sweats, sudden weight loss, itching, loss of appetite, etc. neck and groin lymph nodes may also be affected. Both the Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, are known to cause lumps on underarms.
Fibrocystic breast changes
Women who suffer from lumpy or tender breasts immediately before their menstrual cycle can end up with a cyst-like feeling in their armpits. This will happen if the condition extends from your breast tissue to your underarm tissue.
Various vaccinations
Allergic reactions to vaccines for conditions such as mumps, smallpox, typhoid, rubella, measles, etc. can cause both underarm cysts and swollen or enlarged lymph nodes. This is temporary and it will go away with time.
Hidradenitis suppurativa
Sometimes you might suffer from a small cyst on arm under skin and groin are due to the many oil and sweat glands in this region. This is due to hidradenitis suppurativa where clusters of abscesses or subcutaneous boil-like infections (oftentimes free of actual bacteria) that most commonly affect the apocrine sweat gland bearing areas, such as the underarms, under the breasts, inner thighs, groin and buttocks.
Lipoma cyst in the armpit
Another possible cause of particularly small cysts in armpits is a lipoma. A lipoma is a slow-growing, fatty lump that’s most often situated between your skin and the underlying muscle layer. It is not cancerous, feel doughy and moves if you apply pressure on it. At times, it can be growing and painful. In such a case, removal might be necessary.
Keratin buildup
Another possible cause of cysts in your armpits could be keratin buildup. When this happens, you end up with epidermoid cysts. Epidermoid cysts are noncancerous small bumps beneath the skin. Epidermoid cysts can appear anywhere on the skin but are most common on the face, neck and trunk. They are caused by keratin buildup, they grow slowly, do not need treatment and are painless. If you do not like them, are painful, infected or raptured, you might need to see a doctor for treatment.
Epidermoid cysts are more common in men than women and their sizes vary from a few millimeters to about 5 centimeters.
Other causes of cyst on armpit
These are not the only reasons why you could be having cysts on your armpits. Other possible causes include cat scratch fever, mononucleosis, infection of a woman’s breast tissue, breast cancer, some medications, autoimmune disorders such as systematic lupus erythematosus, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, excessive sweating, etc.
Pilonidal cyst armpit
This refers to cyst or abscess near or on the natal cleft of the buttocks that often contains hair and skin debris. On rare occasions, they can also affect your genital region, armpits and navel. To know you have pilonidal cyst in your armpit, you will have symptoms such as discomfort or a swelling in your underarm, bloody or opaque yellow discharge and unexpected moisture in your underarm.
To treat them, try hot compresses, antibiotic therapy, and the use of depilatory creams. Surgical excision may be advised in some occasion
Small cyst in the armpit
Small cysts in the armpit can be caused by any of the causes we have mentioned. However, lipoma, some sebaceous cysts and hidradenitis suppurativa are the most common cause of tiny, little or small underarm cysts. Sebaceous cysts can at times be very large.
Infected underarm cyst
Sometimes, a cyst on underarm may be infected especially if they are popped, they rupture or burst. Some of the common symptoms of an infected underarm cyst include redness, tenderness, pain and warmth around the area with cysts. While infected armpit cysts might drain, ensure they do not evolve to subcutaneous abscesses. Try warm compresses to encourage them to drain.
Painful cyst in the armpit or does an underarm cyst hurt
In most instances, cysts are painless but could be painful at times. The Underarm cyst pain could be mild to severe, could come before the actual cyst begins to develop, could be worse as you move your arm and it could be due to infection i.e. once infected, they tend to be painful or sore, red and tender.
In case you have painful cysts in your armpits, the first treatment you should consider should be anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the pain and inflammation. You can then take antibiotics in case you have an infection while surgical and laser procedure will be recommended to completely remove the cyst.
Sebaceous cyst armpit
Sometimes, occlusion of a duct that drains your sebaceous glands can lead to the formation of fluid-filled cysts, often known as sebaceous cysts anywhere on your body including your armpits i.e. cysts which originate from sebaceous glands and which contain sebum. It can be on both your axilla (underarm), left or right axilla alone. They are less common when compared to epidermoid cysts.
The sebaceous cyst in the armpit often appears when your sebaceous glands get blocked, you have high levels of testosterone, you use androgenic anabolic steroids, hereditary factors or you have a swollen hair follicle i.e. sebaceous cyst in the armpit hair follicle. Anyone can have it.
Symptoms of armpit sebaceous cyst
Some of the common symptoms you expect to have to include sore and tender skin, skin redness, Grayish-white, cheesy, foul-smelling material that drains from the cyst and some warmth on the affected area.
Sebaceous cyst underarm treatment
Normally, they do not require medical treatment especially sebaceous cyst in the armpit is still small. You can try moist warm compress. However, if you want them removed for some reason such as it being large, swollen or tender, the sebaceous cysts armpit removal might involve surgical removal. This is a simple excision process that removes the sac with all its content. Antibiotics might be recommended in case the cyst is infected with bacteria.
Armpit cyst removal or underarm cyst treatment
I most instances, cysts under your armpits will disappear on their own. However, some might require treatment. The armpit cyst removal or underarm cyst treatment option you go for it depended on the cause. A physical exam and wiggle test i.e. growth by squeezing the lump between thumb and forefinger, and move it back and forth. If it wiggles, it’s probably a cyst that might be helpful in confirming if you actually have a cyst or a lump in your underarm. A biopsy might be necessary if they are suspected to be cancerous. However, underarm cysts are rarely cancerous.
Popping and draining
Some cysts might require popping and draining for the symptoms to disappear. Popping might require a scalpel or needle and it should be done by a specialist. This method does not cure them but relieves the symptoms especially if they are pus-filled. They may heal on their own but this method presents the possibility of the cysts reappearing again.
Medications and injections
Cortisone injections can be used to shrink the cysts. This is a steroid injection that reduces swelling. Infected cysts on your underarm may require medications such as antibiotics or antifungal, depending on what caused them.
Surgical underarm cyst removal
If you have tried all the above armpit cyst treatment without success, you should consider armpit cysts removal surgery removal. This is only recommended with they are large and they have serious and troubling symptoms. Ignoring large cysts on your armpits can hinder your normal activities. Instead of the normal surgical removal, laser surgery can also be used for cyst destruction.
Home remedies
There are many home remedies that can be used to treat underarm cysts. Some of the popular remedies you should try to include hot compresses, washing with antibacterial soap and if the cyst bursts, clean it with an antibacterial ointment to reduce the chances of infection.
However, do not pop, squeeze or open your cyst since this leads to scarring, infection and it might increase the chances of more cysts appearing. However, if the cyst is puss-filled and it has ripened, you can actually pop and drain it.
Cyst in armpit female
In the female, armpit cysts can be due to any of the causes we have already mentioned. However, some causes such as fibrocystic breast changes and infection of a woman’s breast tissue are unique to women alone.
Cyst in armpit male
As mentioned early, underarm cysts affect anyone including children, teens and adults. Any of the above causes can be a reason for men, except for the causes that affect only women. However, epidermoid cysts and sebaceous cysts (if one uses androgenic anabolic steroids or has high testosterone levels) are more common in men than women.