Cystic lesions and skin tags

New parents are always concerned with any unusual finding on their newborns. Certain of these may have significant implications, while others may be of minor importance and easy to correct.

You did not mention if this lump was present at birth and/or has it increased in size since it was first noted. You also did not mention if there is any limitation of rotation of your child’s neck. Lumps below the ear could be solid tissue or fluid filled cysts. In my experience, solid lesions are usually skin tags, extra growths of skin that form in that area that can usually be easily removed surgically.

Cystic lesions that can form in that area can be caused by fluid or oily material that can fill in small canals that may form during fetal development. Other masses in the neck include lymph nodes, and trauma or bleeding into muscle.


You also did not mention if your doctor is a pediatrician or not. You may want to get a second opinion from a neonatologist (a pediatric sub specialist in newborns). If these doctors feel there is no immediate need to intervene, you may want to wait and observe before doing anything. If they feel it needs further evaluation, perhaps ultrasound testing will be informative. If needed however, the advantages of an MRI or CAT scan in planning definitive treatment is warranted.
LJGMD