The usual lump under armpit condition literally means a swelling or a sizeable bump that has grown under your armpit. It can have many causes, which can include swollen lymph nodes, cysts or even everyday infections. They range from your body reacting abnormally to a new deodorant to cancer cells that have reached your armpit area. Despite how threatening all this sounds, the first and foremost piece of advice you will hear from doctors is not to panic when you discover such growth.
It’s usually nothing to be afraid of, as many can be hormonal or even boils grown around a single ingrown hair follicle. For these pea sized lumps that can also secrete pus, there are many natural home remedies, which will take care of your problem in no time.
What Causes Armpit Lumps?
As pointed above, most armpit lumps are harmless and should not stress you at all. They are, indeed, the result of an abnormally large tissue growth, usually hard to touch, but are in no way dangerous to your health. Actually, studies have shown that most of the times, people don’t even notice these lumps in the armpits. Also, if they do notice them, the bumps go away by themselves, without any medical intervention at all. Here are the most common causes when it comes to armpit lumps.
- Infections that have an either bacterial or viral root
- Lipomas, which are completely harmless tissue growths, usually fat
- Allergic reactions to almost anything, ranging from food to hygiene products
- An adverse response to a particular vaccine
- Infections caused by fungi
- Fibrous tissue growth but that is non-cancerous and which is called fibroadenoma
- Response to breast cancer, seeing as, sometimes, carcinogenic cells, which are movable, can climb from the chest area to the armpits.
- Lymphoma, which is a form of cancer that attacks the lymphatic system
- Leukemia or a kind of cancer concentrating on blood and bone marrow
- Lupus or SLE, a disease that is auto-immune in nature and that affects your joints and internal organs.
Women, in particular, are always advised to get their armpit lumps checked out, as they might, indeed, be a sign of breast cancer. Prevention is always better than cure, so, ladies, going to the doctor or taking the test once a month may save you from the worst!
Lump Under Armpit Natural Home Remedies
Treating the big lumps under your armpits very much depends on their cause. Once you have identified their underlying cause, you can choose one of the following marvelous natural home remedies for that tender and soreness characterized spot under your armpit.
#1. Warm Water Compresses
The science behind this age old remedy is simple. The hot compress will increase the blood flow which, in turn, will reduce the lump in size and put an end to the pain. You need to soak a towel in water as hot as you can bear, wring all the excess water out of it, so it doesn’t drip and place it under your armpit. Make sure you keep it there for 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat this procedure 3 or 4 times a day for a week or until the swelling subsides.
#2. Vitamin E
A known remedy for any lumps, not just armpit ones, Vitamin E helps reduce it in size in just a few days. It’s a powerful antioxidant that keeps fluid from adding up in the lymph nodes. Apart from that, it’s great for the skin, as it helps seal in moisture and repair any little damages the skin might have. To benefit from this lump under armpit remedy, you can use oil that has been enriched with Vitamin E and rub it under your armpit. Just a few minutes 2 or 3 times daily for an entire week will do the trick. It will deal with the tenderness you’re feeling and the tiny bump.
However, you can also profit from Vitamin E’s benefits if you introduce it into your diet. There are certain foods you can eat that are rich in this supplement, such as almonds, sunflower seeds, olive oil, as long as it’s extra virgin, avocado, spinach, turnip greens, asparagus, beet greens, or Swiss chard.
#3. Apple Cider Vinegar
This marvelous painless remedy dries out the lumps under your armpits and soothes the pain. The swelling will back down, and you will no longer feel any discomfort because apple cider vinegar is both antiseptic and antibiotic. These properties mean that it will fight against infection.
Make sure you use raw, organic apple cider vinegar. Mix it in equal parts with water. Soak a washcloth in it and keep it under your armpit for approximately 5 minutes. Rinse the area with warm water and gently pat it dry. This process should be repeated a couple of times a day as long as it takes for the lump itself to disappear.
Additionally, you can mix 1 teaspoon raw, organic apple cider vinegar with 1 teaspoon of honey, dilute it into a glass of water and drink it twice a day for a few weeks straight. You should notice an improvement in your tender underarm area.
#4. Echinacea
This particular herb is known for healing and strengthening the lymph system. This means it will virtually help cure your lump. It’s also a very powerful antibiotic, purifying your blood and, thusly, eliminating any sign of infection.
Using Echinacea is quite simple. You can apply some ointment or Echinacea enriched cream under your armpit 2 or 3 times a day until you rid yourself of the problem. Otherwise, you can drink some Echinacea tea, once or twice every day, until you reach the said result. However, if you are known to suffer from an autoimmune disease, you should not use Echinacea at all.
#5. Honey
This world renowned panacea helps with armpits and their lumps as well. It’s a natural antibiotic that wards off infections. It will also break your lump, reduce the swelling, help with the pain, and cure your irritation on top of everything else.
The simplest way to use honey as a medicine is to smear it over your armpit. Let it dry out for 10 minutes, then rinse it all off with some warm water. Twice a day should do the trick, for as long as it takes to heal your red lump.
You can also drink all sorts of teas enriched with the delicious golden sweet. Green tea is preferred, however, so you can try that, as well as plain hot water. Drink it as many times during the day as you like, since there are absolutely no side effects to this treatment. As a bonus, it will improve your overall health, not just fix your armpits.
#6. Lemon Juice
The fact that it’s so rich in Vitamin C is what makes lemon juice a go-to solution for many a problem, including armpit lumps. It has anti-inflammatory properties which will considerably reduce the swelling, bringing down the pain with it as well. Apart from that, lemon juice is known to be a highly powerful astringent.
Simply enough, you can dip a small washcloth or some cotton balls in pure, organic lemon juice and dab it over the lump. You can also leave it there if you wish, for around 20 minutes. The excess liquid should be then washed off with warm water, as it will get sticky. If needed, repeat this process a couple of times a day for a week.
Lemon juice can also be ingested if you prefer this method to the local treatment. Add the juice of one lemon to hot or cold water or tea and drink it as many times as you like during the day. However, should you suffer from stomach aches or acid reflux, drinking lemon juice is not the solution for you and you should stick to cotton balls.
Both the lemon juice and the above honey are an excellent lump under armpit remedy for kids, as they are easy to use and pretty tasty.
#7. Turmeric
This delicious, exotic spice can be utilized under your armpits as well, in case you have some unwanted lumps. It’s a known fact that turmeric has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties which will reduce the lump in size and help with the pain.
It’s very easy to get turmeric, seeing as you can buy it almost everywhere and it’s even easier to use it. Mix one tablespoon of the orange powder with honey, just enough to make a paste. Apply it to the lump under your armpit and leave it there for about 10 minutes or until it completely dries off. Rinse it well with warm water. You can do this for a week, as much as 2 or even 3 times a day.
You can also drink a glass of lukewarm turmeric milk every day for a couple of weeks. You can buy this absolutely delightful drink, but you can also make it yourself at home. It’s an entirely vegan recipe that requires 2 cups of almond milk, one tablespoon of honey, one of coconut oil, if you want, one teaspoon of turmeric, one cinnamon stick and a pinch of pepper or freshly grated ginger. Combine everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil. It’s best to serve at nighttime right before going to bed because it’s relaxing and soothing.
#8. Garlic
This is one great lump under armpit remedy which can be used during the pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Garlic is a very powerful natural antibiotic food that will stop the lump from growing and cleanse your blood as well as your entire system.
You can make a paste out of crushed garlic and smear it onto the lump under your armpit. Leave it to rest for 5 minutes, then wash it off with warm water. Remember to wash thoroughly, as the garlic paste tends to smell quite pungent, especially in the armpit area where the temperature of the body is high and you sweat a lot.
Another way of using garlic as a remedy is to eat it. Introduce more of it than usual to your cooking or eat 2 or 3 raw and hard cloves every morning on an empty stomach. It’s an excellent remedy for both male and female patients who have lumps under their armpits that are itchy.
#9. Onion
Remaining in the ‘delicious but smelly’ zone of our list, the next item we advance as a great lump under armpit remedy is onions. The same as garlic, the good old onion is chock-full of antiseptic and anti-microbial qualities. It’s known to treat bumps fast and efficiently. It’s also ideal for the lump’s symptoms.
You must use onion juice, not the vegetable itself, on a regular basis. You can either drink it as it is or soak a cotton ball in it and dab your underarm areas. If you do this daily, you will notice your nasty lump backing down in front of the almighty onion.
#10. Aloe Vera
This lovely plant is, probably, the most well-known and best-appreciated skin benefactor in the world. Its healing and soothing properties are a worldwide trend by now, with many people growing it in their homes so that they can use it fresh. Not surprisingly at all, Aloe Vera works on armpit lumps as well. As it does with most skin conditions, it will help heal the afflicted area and disinfect it at the same time.
If you happen to have an Aloe Vera plant at home, then you’re in luck, because it’s just what the doctor ordered. Snap off one of its hardy leaves. You will see a clear gel-like substance coming out of it. Use that to cover your sore armpit. Leave it on for half an hour and then rinse it off as well as you can with cold water. In case you don’t own an Aloe Vera plant, you can buy the gel itself. Or get a plant.
#11. Coconut Oil
One of everybody’s favorite natural remedies for almost anything that might ail a person is coconut oil. You can use it for wounds, skin conditions, for your face, your elbows, and knees, for your hair, you can cook with it, make desserts, and add it to smoothies. Therefore, it’s only natural it’s so good a treatment for armpit lumps as well.
You can buy it already packaged and warm a few tablespoons. Use the warmed up coconut oil to massage your armpit lumps for several minutes a few times a day, for as long as it takes to get rid of your problem.
Often found in both men and women, the lump under armpit syndrome, although not always dangerous can turn out quite pesky and hurtful. Most of these natural remedies help with the swelling and the pain while also relieving any signs of infections you might be experiencing.
How to Handle Health Scares
Many of us have been there in the past. We find a lump, have pain or get a strange result on one of the doctor’s tests. These things can cause us to go into fear mode. Even the least anxiety-prone people can find themselves freaking out at the first sign of a potential illness. It’s scary to be a human, living on this earth, knowing there can be things wrong with our bodies that we are not privy to. So what do you do when you find yourself in the hard place of knowing there is something wrong, but not having the answers as to what it is just yet? Here are some tips below:
Refocus Your Attention
Whether you’re waiting on test results, waiting on a doctors appointment, or simply waiting on a home remedy to work after you know what you have, it can be hard to put it out of your mind. The key is to refocus your attention. An excellent way to find inner calm and peace is by meditating. Speaking affirmations over yourself is another great way. These things help you to focus on what’s important. They don’t cause you to ignore the problem; they simply give you a new and better perspective. Focus on the things in front of you that matter. Your kids, your family, your job, your faith, etc.
Cover All Your Bases
It’s essential to make sure you get all the proper testing and as many opinions as you’re advised to get. It’s always best to get at least a second opinion. Make sure you ask all the questions you have in order to leave you with the peace of mind you’ll need when you walk away. Ask what can be done, cover all your bases.