Which lesion is a subcutaneous movable fatty growth and may be hereditary?

• A. Lipoma
• B. Epidermal inclusion cyst
• C. Dermatofibroma
• D. Pilar cysts

Answer: (A)

A soft, movable subcutaneous tumor that feels like fat is characteristic of a lipoma. Lipomas arise from adipose tissue and sit just beneath the skin. They’re typically soft, painless, and compressible, and they slide freely when you palpate them, indicating they’re in the subcutaneous layer rather than fixed to the skin or deeper structures. Hereditary patterns can occur, such as in familial lipomatosis, where multiple lipomas run in families.

Epidermal inclusion cysts sit in the dermis and are usually firmer and fixed to the skin, often with a visible punctum and keratinous material inside. Dermatofibromas are small, firm nodules in the dermis that are not freely movable. Pilar cysts are keratin-filled cysts, usually on the scalp, and are also firm and not characteristically mobile.