Most of the time, skin lumps are normal and harmless. They can appear almost anywhere on the body.

Common skin lumps:
* Benign moles are small lumps with a smooth, even border. They are one color that can be beige, pink, or dark brown. Moles may be similar in size and color or vary in type.
* Skin cancer may appear as small growth with fuzzy or irregular edges. A growth may be partly raised and partly flat in size. It may grow larger than the size of a pencil eraser. Colors that are mixed or rare like blue, gray, white, or black. Any mole that is very different from other moles on the body should be medically evaluated. A person with a very large number of moles on the body should also consider having more frequent medical checks.
* Warts are rough, hard bumps on the skin, often with a tiny, black center. Warts are caused by a virus and can spread from person to person. They are usually found on the hands and feet or in the area of the anus, vagina, or penis.
* Cysts are abnormal lumps or swellings that are filled with fluid or semisolid material.
* Boils usually form around a hair follicle and are a painful, red bump with a white or yellow center.
* Corns or calluses are thickened bumps on a toe or bottom of the foot.
* Keloids are a raised over-growth of healed scar tissue over a cut, injury, or surgery site.

It is a good idea to protect the skin by avoiding long exposure to the sun. Use a sunblock with a safety protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Wear hats or caps and long sleeves to protect your skin if working in the sun.

Seek medical evaluation of lumps that show signs of any of the following:
* grow in size,
* change in color,
* change in shape around the edges,
* bleed, or
* are painful.

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