Having Bump On Front Of Neck. Have Redness And Painful To Touch. Should I Go To ER?

Posted on Sat, 22 Jun 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 22 Jun 2013 Answered on

Fri, 12 Jul 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I have a bump under the skin on the front of my neck - to the left of the center of my neck. It is painful to the touch and I have redness on my skin around it. It has grown in size in the last two days and the pain is worse. I don't know what type of doctor I should see or if I should go to the ER.

Answered by Dr. Pravin Banodkar (14 minutes later)

Hello
Welcome!
I would be pleased to answer your question .

I would suggest that you will need to get it checked from the Dermatologist ,
It looks like a furuncle which is an inflammation and infection of the Hair follicles . They get inflamed to form the kind of swelling and pain that you have described .
You will need to take the antibiotic in the form of a prescription from the Dermatologist as early as possible to prevent any form of infectious complications like septicemia . Blood test to rule out Diabetes would be suggested.

Thanks and take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Pravin Banodkar (9 minutes later)

Thank you so much for answering so quickly.

I looked up some information on a furuncle and it sounds like it could be possible. Since it is 1:00 am on a Saturday no Dermatologist will be open until Monday and then I would need to wait for the next available appointment. The pain is getting worse and it is growing in size under the skin so I don't think I should wait too long to be seen.

Should I go to an urgent care clinic to be seen faster or wait for a regular appointment?

Thanks again.

Answered by Dr. Pravin Banodkar (5 hours later)

Thanks for the information provided .

You can apply over the counter Neosporin cream twice a day in the mean time and you can also take over the counter paracetamol tablet ( Tylenol ) to reduce the inflammation and the pain.

Thanks and Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar