Know The Causes And Home Remedies For Underarm Cyst

Formation of cysts now and then is common and can happen for many reasons. Besides, there are many varied cysts however, not all of them are harmful. Cysts that are linked to cancer (cancerous, precancerous) alone are dangerous and the rest of the cysts that are noncancerous or benign aren’t usually a matter of worry. One common cyst that we often experience is a painful underarm cyst and this is the cyst we will be talking about here.

What Is A Cyst?

It is a closed sac-like or capsule structured formation, generally filled with semisolid, liquid or gas-like substances. They usually happen within almost any type of the body’s tissue and differ in size from microscopic to huge structures that can dislocate internal organs. The majority of the cysts are preventable and the ones that aren’t preventable simply means they are infectious.

Symptoms Of Cyst

Usually, most of the small cysts don’t have any symptoms and if a cyst has symptoms they will widely differ depending on what kind of cyst it is. In the majority of the instances, the first and foremost sign is an abnormal lump growth and this is more often when it is just below the skin. The signs and symptoms will vary widely depending on the type of cyst you are suffering from.

Majority of the cysts like those that take place in the liver or kidneys may most of the time don’t have any symptom at all. Such types of cysts are usually overlooked unless noticed through a scan.

Coming to cysts in the brain headache is the common symptom and for a breast cyst, pain is the symptom. As such each kind of cyst has its own signs and symptoms and also depends on which part of the body it forms.

[Also Read: Is pain in the breast a sign of cancer]

Causes Of Underarm Cyst

Armpit lump or an underarm cyst is the most common type of cyst we usually come across due to varied reasons. Same like any other cyst, even this cyst is not dangerous most of the time, however, it is better to get diagnosed if you encounter them too often or if they are persistent, or if they are highly painful.

The most common causes of the underarm cyst are;

• Viral or bacterial infections
• Lipomas (usually harmless, benign fat tissue growths)
• Hidradenitis suppurativa
• A fibroadenoma (noncancerous fibrous tissue growth)
• Allergic reactions
• Harsh reactions to vaccines
• Breast cancer
• Fungal infections
• Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system)
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (an autoimmune ailment that aims at the organs and joints)
• Leukemia (cancer of the blood cells)

How To Diagnose An Underarm Cyst?

If you are in doubt about your underarm cyst the only proper way out to diagnose its seriousness is by visiting a doctor as he/she alone can say if it is grave or not.

At times, a general physician can determine it with mere examination using fingers but in other instances, he/she may monitor it more closely using different methods such as tests, x-ray, and so on to determine its seriousness, nature, and other tendencies.

The diagnosis tests include;

• Allergy testing
• Biopsy taking off a minor piece of tissue from the lump to test
• Breast or chest X-ray (mammogram)
• A complete blood count to measure the number of white and red blood cells

Usually, all the above tests are needed for harmful and bothersome underarm cysts which may ask for further treatment.

Treatment For Underarm Cyst

Most of the armpit cysts don’t need any special treatment. Lumps due to allergic reactions will go away once the allergen is eradicated and coming to bacteria caused cyst, antibiotics may be suggested. As far as fat or oversized armpit cysts are concerned, simple procedures with minimal surgical kind of processes may be followed.

Coming to cancerous armpit cysts radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy are followed.

Home Remedies For Underarm Cyst

An armpit lump that doesn’t ask for a formal treatment may be cured with home remedies such as;

• Heat packs or warm compresses
• Over-the-counter creams
• Pain relief medicines like ibuprofen
• Bleach bath
• Wound dressing
• Using home products such as apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil, and so on
• Making a lifestyle change such as taking less heat-generating edibles

Unless you have a painful underarm cyst that lasts for more than a week there is no need to panic just take some OTC medications. One should worry only when the cyst doesn’t subdue even after using home remedies and OTC drugs.

Sudheendra Reddy

Sudheendra is a passionate blogger for 8 years and holds a Degree in Journalism & Mass Communications. His writings particularly focus on health, medicine, diet & lifestyle. For him, everything that interlinks and relates to health & medical world entices him. His write-ups aim at educating people not by just giving facts but by infusing human touch.