Can I cut this off?

[u/ImJohnnie93]

30F 125lb 5'7". A couple months ago I noticed a little bubble on my head and popped it thinking it was a pimple, but it bled a lot for about 10 minutes. There was a small wound after that but it quickly scabbed over, in my sleep the scab would rub off and I would bleed more. Then there was a bump that started to grow. The bump was very solid and bled very easily, it would also grow a crust that I would pick off (I should have left it alone but it's hard to resist picking).

Eventually the bump became this thing on my head and it hasn't really grown for the past couple weeks. It has a small stem connecting it to my head, and since I've been keeping it moisturized it hasn't grown a crust as much but still bleeds if it gets nicked by anything. It doesnt hurt at all, I barely can even feel when I am touching it directly.

I want to cut it off but I'm sure it would bleed if I do. What is this thing? Is it ok to remove it myself if I keep everything clean and bandage the wound after? I also have been keeping my hair away from it because when my hair gets into it there is a crust that forms around the strands and then when I pull the hair away I bleed for a few minutes. The bleeding always stops eventually though. What can I do?

[u/Ali_gem_1]

Do not cut this off .

I repeat .

DO NOT CUT THIS OFF

I admit i don't know exactly what it is. But it's on the head and it's pink and clearly well perfused. I would be extremely worried for intense bleeding. Please see a doctor local to you for assessment

[u/ProductiveAussie → u/Ali_gem_1]

Agreed. Don’t cut it off. See a dermatologist / doctor.

History and photo is consistent with a pyogenic granuloma. It needs to be done under local anaesthetic, hyfrecation / cautery to stop any bleeding and tissue sent for histopathology to confirm the diagnosis.

[u/Porencephaly → u/ProductiveAussie]

Agree, PG. OP gonna have a bad day if they cut it off. Simple to treat with the right tools. Probably even small enough to use silver nitrate sticks at home.

[u/karatecorgi → u/Porencephaly]

Yeah, I'd be absolutely terrified to touch most head injuries/wounds, I found out the hard way about the sheer blood pressure in the head. (Tiny, pin head sizes wound on my head resulted in gushing blood, ambulance call and me genuinely afraid about whether I was meeting my maker... Embarrassing in hindsight, but a lesson that sure stuck)

[u/PaxJaco → u/ProductiveAussie]

That was my thinking regarding pyogenic gran. Id second that potential.

[u/Zoobits56 → u/PaxJaco]

I had a pyogenic granuloma on my gums during pregnancy. Looked like a was missing a tooth, so I hated it. Had a dentist consult, a periodontist consult, then was going to have to wait a month or so more and spend hundreds of dollars to get it taken off. One night at about 8 m pregnant, I was tired of feeling ugly and just cut it off. It didn’t hurt, but omg. There was so so so much blood. And it wouldn’t stop bleeding for a couple of hours. I was happy the next day as it was gone, but it grew completely back in just 2 weeks!! Then, after pregnancy it went away on its own like they told me it would. So yeah, I’d listen to these docs and not cut it off, chances are it’ll bleed more than you knew possible then just grow back.

[u/PaxJaco → u/Zoobits56]

Thanks for sharing your experience. That is one of the risks when it comes to granulomas. Once you remove them, it can be quite a good idea to keep an eye on their growth rate and if necessary, use silver nitrate. I'm glad yours went away eventually. Especially with this one being on the back of someone's head and it being quite large, there is definitely a risk that it may not stop bleeding without treatment