A lump in the belly button may be caused by a hernia, an inflammatory condition, or a mass.
Possible causes of an abdominal lump include hernias, lipomas, hematomas, undescended testicles, and tumors. These can appear as an area of swelling or a bulge that protrudes from the abdominal area. Abdominal lumps can be hard or soft and may feel sore.
This type of metastasis to the belly button, or umbilicus, is known as a "Sister Mary Joseph's nodule," according to the report, published online yesterday (March 13) in The New England Journal of Medicine. A Sister Mary Joseph's nodule is sometimes seen in patients who have gynecologic or gastrointestinal cancers.
Most lumps are normal
They can: be soft or hard to touch. move around. be the size of a pea or a golf ball.
Umbilical hernias appear as a bulge or swelling in the belly button area. The swelling may become more noticeable when the baby cries and may become smaller or disappear when the baby is quiet.
An umbilical hernia creates a soft swelling or bulge near the navel. It occurs when part of the intestine protrudes through the umbilical opening in the abdominal muscles. Umbilical hernias in children are usually painless.
Most often, a lump in the abdomen is caused by a hernia. An abdominal hernia occurs when there is a weak spot in the abdominal wall. This allows the internal organs to bulge through the muscles of the abdomen. A hernia may appear after you strain, or lift something heavy, or after a long period of coughing.
Skin cysts
They can appear anywhere and feel like small peas under the skin. Cysts can develop as a result of infection, clogged oil glands, or around foreign bodies, such as earrings. They are usually slow-growing, painless, and smooth to the touch when they are rolled under the skin.
A cancerous lump is usually hard, not soft or squishy.
Check if it's a skin cyst
are round lumps just underneath the skin. often contain fluid or pus. sometimes have a small, dark spot in the middle. grow slowly and vary in size from smaller than a pea to several centimetres across.
Sebaceous cysts of the umbilicus are rare and reported less frequently than other conditions.
A lipoma is a slow-growing, fatty lump that's most often situated between your skin and the underlying muscle layer. A lipoma, which feels doughy and usually isn't tender, moves readily with slight finger pressure. Lipomas are usually detected in middle age. Some people have more than one lipoma.
Trapped debris.
People who are obese, elderly, or disabled may have trouble cleaning their navels. If debris builds up, it can start to stick together and form a small, hard ball. Over time, the ball will get larger and might become visible. Some navel stones stay hidden in the folds of skin.
A mass or abdominal lump on the lower left abdomen can most commonly be caused by skin conditions like cysts, abscess, or growth of fatty tissue known as lipoma. If you have a lump that causes pain on the left side of the abdomen, you may also have a hernia or an ovarian cyst if you are female.
Urachal Cyst
It may be so small that you don't know it's there. But if it gets infected, you could have belly button pain, fever, and bloody urine. Your doctor may give you antibiotics, drain or remove the cyst, and possibly repair the area with surgery.
Bumps that are cancerous are typically large, hard, painless to the touch and appear spontaneously. The mass will grow in size steadily over the weeks and months. Cancerous lumps that can be felt from the outside of your body can appear in the breast, testicle, or neck, but also in the arms and legs.
A benign tumor has distinct, smooth, regular borders. A malignant tumor has irregular borders and grows faster than a benign tumor. A malignant tumor can also spread to other parts of your body. A benign tumor can become quite large, but it will not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of your body.
Lymph nodes can swell for a variety of reasons and are considered to be enlarged if they are bigger than 1.5 centimeters in diameter, or slightly larger than a pea. Typically, lymph nodes that are enlarged due to lymphoma are much bigger and can grow to be the size of a grape (or larger).
Lipomas are common. They: feel soft and squishy. can be anything from the size of a pea to a few centimetres across.
If you have a lump or mass in your belly button, you should see a doctor. They can examine it and make sure it isn't something more serious, such as skin cancer. If it's a cyst, you may need to have it surgically removed. Your doctor can likely perform the procedure in their office.
People with umbilical hernias may notice: a soft bulge on or around the belly button. flushed skin or a small sore around bigger umbilical hernias.
Umbilical hernias carry the risk of becoming stuck or “incarcerated,” which could cause strong pain, nausea, vomiting, or the inability to pass gas from the rectum. This is an emergency, and if this happens, you should contact your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room.