Painful Lump in Armpit

Im a 15 year old female and found a lump in my armpit.
I had a cold at the time and so I was stuck in bed for the day.
I was led down relaxing watching tv and i suddenly felt a tender spot in my armpit when stretching.
i looked in the mirror there wasnt anything there. i thought maybe it was a bruise coming.
an few hours later it was still sore and i had another look at my armpit.
i noticed that a lump had come up and the skin was red.
the lump is about the size of .....
it hurts a bit when i move my arm up and down and it is tender when i touch it but no where else on my armpit.
is this anything i should worry about? and what should i do?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like an infected hair follicle or a boil. Boils are caused by infection of the hair follicle by staph aureus. Apply warm compresses on the bumps and keep the area clean. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove. Avoid any kind of cosmetics. Topical antibiotics such as mupirocin or neomycin containing ointment are also useful. In case the symptoms persist then oral antibiotics may be needed. Please consult a dermatologist in that case.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing. Warm regards.