broken cheek

9 days ago my boyfriend got head butted in his left cheek he had a bit of swelling and light brusing
but know he has a lump underneath the skin on top of his cheek bone and its a hard lump and is the size of
a cherry tomatoe, could you please tell me if he has broken it? and does he need to seek medical attention either at
hospital or his local gp
thank you katie

[Howard Rosenberg, MD]

X-rays will determine if the cheek bone has been broken.  The lump is probably a combination of swelling and bleeding into the soft tissues and does not signify if the bone was or was not broken.  If the cheek bone is broken and displaced, then it needs to be reduced surgically immediately to prevent healing in an abnormal position.  If this occurs, treatment becomes quite difficult and complicated.