Soft lump in elbow crease in a fully tattooed arm

Resolved question:
I have had a soft lump in the crease of my right elbow for years. I never gave it much thought until now. It's not painful and can only be felt if my arm is fully outstretched, palm facing up. Any other position it's not able to felt.

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia 8 years ago and have been told lipomas are common. Also, this arm is fully tattooed so perhaps it's scar tissue? This arm was also horribly bruised by an incompetent nurse who left me bruised from elbow crease to wrist.

Just curious as to what this bump could be?

Submitted: 4 Days
Category: Family Physician-GP

Expert:  Dr. Jaydeep Tripathy replied 4 Days.

Hello,

Thank you for asking your query at DoctorSpring.

A soft swelling , which is superficial, which is present for years, with not much changes (I assume) is most probably a Lipoma or a benign cyst over a tendon. The swelling very well fits into the description of a Benign (non cancerous) swelling. So unless you want it to be removed for cosmetic reasons, you can just ignore it.

The only definite way to know the exact composition of the swelling is by doing a needle biopsy. (FNAC)

Hope this helps
Please feel free to ask followup questions.
Thank you.

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