# Why do I get these bumps on my skin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 13, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448 "2019-06-13T00:02:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/1 "2019-06-13T00:02:22Z")
I have recently been using tweezers to pluck out some unwanted hair on the back of my neck. At a few sites a bump (a bit smaller than a pencil eraser) will appear within a day and then gradually recede over the next 4 or 5 days. Why does plucking a hair cause a bump to arise? ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/2 "2019-06-13T00:53:49Z")
If you are confident you are pulling the whole hair (including papilla) then the follicle is probably just angry. If you are not pulling the whole thing, then you could be breaking it off just below the surface, and causing a wee ingrown? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/3 "2019-06-13T02:00:12Z")
Try putting some cortisone on it or taking an allergy med an hour or so before you pluck any hairs. That could help narrow it down to something dermatological vs an ingrown hair or small infection. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/4 "2019-06-13T04:04:30Z")
I’m far more interested in the actual mechanics of this. How do you pull hairs _out of the back of your neck?_ Dumb luck? Random chance? Eyes in the back of your head? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/5 "2019-06-13T04:26:40Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I’m far more interested in the actual mechanics of this. How do you pull hairs _out of the back of your neck?_ > > Dumb luck? Random chance? Eyes in the back of your head? I’m spitballing here but imma guess: mirrors. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/6 "2019-06-13T07:10:45Z")
Maybe OP has special friend to do this. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/7 "2019-06-13T10:26:41Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > Why does plucking a hair cause a bump to arise? The insect living inside your neck that the hair belongs to got angry? ---
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/8 "2019-06-20T00:10:53Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I’m far more interested in the actual mechanics of this. How do you pull hairs _out of the back of your neck?_ > > Dumb luck? Random chance? Eyes in the back of your head? I can just feel around with my fingers and use the tweezers to get in the vicinity. I don’t always get it on the first try, but repeated squeezes usually get the desired result. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/9 "2019-06-20T04:29:17Z")
All that squeezing is definitely irritating the Hell out of your skin. Find a good friend to help you out. Wipe down the area with rubbing alcohol or Betadine before and after the procedure, and clean the tweezers, too. Your skin is filled with crud, and your grooming actions are interfering with the barrier shield the skin provides. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_Raygun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c67d28/32.png) [@Ronald\_Raygun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_Raygun)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/10 "2019-06-20T04:36:40Z")
Could be a number of things, but it’s likely that you either have small infections or you’re not getting a complete removal of the hair, causing an ingrown. Wipe the area down with alcohol and sterilize your tweezers. Or better yet, if you’re in the LA area, come see me and I’ll remove them permanently for free. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2019, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-get-these-bumps-on-my-skin/835448/11 "2019-06-20T05:15:50Z")
Cancer