# Infected sweat gland - permanent lump? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608 "2019-07-25T13:07:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/1 "2019-07-25T13:07:36Z")
So, back on the 5th of July, I had a sizeable lump in my armpit that turned out to be an infected gland (infected, annoyingly, with MRSA). In the meantime I’ve done the required treatment, and it has drained about as much as I expect it’s going to drain. I’ve had no fever, chills, or any other noticeable effects of a bad infection. However, the lump, while _much_ smaller, isn’t going away. My doctor has told me that’s just the way it is sometimes- tissue damage or the like will just leave it scar-like, with a lump. I’m not saying I -distrust- my doctor, but I’m wondering if anyone out in the hivemind has experienced anything of the sort, and can give me some general assurances that I don’t have an alien facehugger about to burst out of my armpit! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/2 "2019-07-25T13:30:58Z")
My sweat glands in my armpits kept getting re-infected until I had them removed. Can your infection cause a lumpy scar? Yeah, sure, like any tissue damage. Can your sweat glands get re-infected? Yes. And then make more of a mess than the first time because there’s all sorts of lumpy scar tissue holding stuff back? Yes. Sorry ☹ ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/3 "2019-07-25T13:32:02Z")
Three weeks is still only the early part of the scar forming process. Even in an uncomplicated surgical wound, at three weeks you’re only moving from the proliferative phase, where new collagen is being deposited sort of willy-nilly and new vasculature is constructed, to the maturation phase where collagen is reorganized and tightly crosslinked. The maturation phase can last for over a year, with diminishing visible returns. So you should expect the lump to continue to shrink, slowly, for some time yet. Age, overall health, sex, and a host of other factors play roles in the amount of time this takes. It is possible that there is still residual infection present, but that would be associated with increasing size, redness, tenderness, etc., rather than continued (albeit slow) decreases in those things. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/4 "2019-07-25T14:42:47Z")
> [@ArrMatey](#): > > give me some general assurances that I don’t have an alien facehugger about to burst out of my armpit! I’ve treated LOTS of these sorts of cases and less than 10% of them turn out to have alien facehuggers. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/5 "2019-07-25T15:45:50Z")
I had something like this on my leg and after being drained it was the size of a pencil eraser for about a decade. It then blew back up and I got it lanced and the stuff taken out and it has been totally gone ever since. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/6 "2019-07-25T19:49:40Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’ve treated LOTS of these sorts of cases and less than 10% of them turn out to have alien facehuggers. Well, there you have it. Nine times out of ten, we _won’t_ have to nuke you from orbit. Can’t get much better than that. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/7 "2019-07-25T22:38:53Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Well, there you have it. Nine times out of ten, we _won’t_ have to nuke you from orbit. Can’t get much better than that. **Less than** nine times out of ten. That’s better. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/8 "2019-07-26T16:46:53Z")
If **less** than 10% turn out to be face huggers, wouldn’t it be **more** than nine times out of ten nuking is un-nessesary? What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infected-sweat-gland-permanent-lump/837608/9 "2019-07-26T23:21:09Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > If **less** than 10% turn out to be face huggers, wouldn’t it be **more** than nine times out of ten nuking is un-nessesary? What am I missing? I don’t have a lot of training in nuclear medicine or radiation therapy, sorry.