I have a hard red raised bump with a white center on the inside of my arm, where my elbow bends. It has been there for about 2 weeks. It started as a red bump and has, within the past 2 days, formed a white center. It does not hurt or itch. Any ideas as to what this may be and how I should treat it?
Thank you for your query. Your description points an abscess/ an infected hair follicle. I would examine the site to look for signs of infection, redness in the surrounding areas (skin, subcutaneous tissue), warmth over the area, tenderness, any possible bite/sting marks, hair follicle in the center. I would do a complete blood count to check for levels of white blood cells in comparison with others. A folliculitis will be about 2-5 mm in size. An abscess, in most cases is larger (1-5 CMS). If there is adjacent skin involvement (redness, pain, warmth, fever) cellulitis could be present (unlikely based on your description). I would advise to keep area, clear & Chat Doctor.  Since it has been two weeks and seems to have pus (white center), I suggest a topical antibiotic cream twice a day for 1 well or till it resolves. Do not pop it or squeeze it. If the antibiotic cream does show improvement in 3 days, or is signs of cellulitis develop, I suggest you show it to a physician. Hope this helps. Please get back to us for further clarification. Hope this resolves quickly. Wish you good health