Head and Neck Lumps and Bumps

Head and Neck Lumps and Bumps

The appearance of a new lump, or mass, on a child's body can be a source of great concern to parents. While we always recommend that an evaluation by the child's doctor -- and many masses will require surgical excision for a definite diagnosis -- most often little lumps represent benign processes.

The head and neck are areas where new masses frequently appear. Some of the more common benign causes of these are:

• abscesses
• branchial cleft cysts or sinuses
• dermoid cysts
• lymph nodes
• thyroglossal duct cysts
• vascular malformations (lymphangiomas and hemangiomas)