Is it fat deposit?

April 12, 2012 2:08 AM

I had a nodular acne in my neck about a week ago. It was reddish and painful, but I didn't do anything about it and waited until it subsided. Now my problem is, it looks as if it left fat deposit/lump in my neck (more like internal). It's not painful but it worries me if it is just really deposit or enlarged lymph nodes. My appointment with a dermatologist is not until Monday, so any ideas how to get rid of it? I doubt it's lymph node though but I am not sure either.
posted by LittleMissItneg to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

Might be a sebaceous cyst? They are subcutaneous hard fatty lumps and commonly occur in the neck. They can also swell up and become painful. I had two cut out of my neck years ago and one came back, but it has never swollen up so I have not bothered to get it removed too.
posted by Joe Chip at 3:46 AM on April 12, 2012

A cyst of some kind does seem most likely, I'd have thought. It might clear up gradually on its own, and could be difficult to get rid of by other means. As you're due to see a dermatologist on Monday I should think it's best to leave it alone until then
posted by Segundus at 3:52 AM on April 12, 2012

You'll see a professional in 4 days who you'll be paying to diagnose the problem. Keep your hands off so he/she has the best chance to see what it is. If you try to poke it or pop it, you may end up with a bigger problem than you already have.
posted by jaimystery at 3:54 AM on April 12, 2012 [3 favorites]

You don't get rid of it at the moment and leave it alone, you let your doctor take a look next week and let them recommend a course of action.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:06 AM on April 12, 2012

Hold tight until you see the doctor. I suspect that you will be tempted to take matters into your own hands, and all I can say is try and resist that as much as possible. I speak from experience when I say there really is nothing less awesome than having to make an emergency doctor's appointment because you had a badly infected zit.
posted by 8dot3 at 9:52 AM on April 12, 2012

Yep, keep hands off on the chance it might be cyst. If you disturb it and/or the doctor doesn't remove all of it when/if he operates then it will likely come back at some point in the future.

These are not a big deal from what I can tell.

Final thing: Avoid going to Youtube (or any link site) to research the topic of sebaceous cysts unless you have a strong stomach and high gag threshold. It's intense even to someone like me who isn't perturbed by bodily fluids in the slightest. You have been warned.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:35 AM on April 12, 2012

Response by poster: I have seen them Youtube videos about cysts, but this one I have is more like an internal bump that you can only know it's a bump when you press on it, or when I bend my neck. I got this right after I had a painful pimple/acne on the same spot. That's why I am worried if it's just really fat build-up or lymph node.
posted by LittleMissItneg at 3:40 PM on April 12, 2012