{"id":873293,"date":"2026-10-06T23:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T23:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/873293\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T23:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T23:16:08","slug":"strange-benign-chest-lumps-found-in-socal-surfers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/873293\/","title":{"rendered":"Strange benign chest lumps found in SoCal surfers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Surfers have long braved shark bites, reef scrapes, and the dreaded \u201csurfer\u2019s ear<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

But now, aging wave-riders may be taking home a bizarre souvenir from years spent in the surf: strange, fatty growths bulging from their chests. <\/p>\n

Doctors have identified the unusual lumps, called \u201cliposurfomas,\u201d in longtime surfers, who appear to develop them after years of repeatedly grinding their torsos against hard surfboards while paddling out. While the alarming masses can look like tumors, researchers say<\/a> they appear to be benign \u2014 although they can grow larger with continued surfing.<\/p>\n

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A 44-year-old male surfer is shown with prominent bilateral subcutaneous tumors, in a study by the Department of Dermatology, University of California, Irvine. JAAD Case Reports<\/p>\n

The peculiar condition has caught renewed attention in Southern California after researchers at the University of California, Irvine studied seven surfers with the distinctive growths. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Two large mobile chest wall masses are shown on a 55-year-old male surfer in an image from a study by the Department of Dermatology, University of California, Irvine. JAAD Case Reports<\/p>\n

The peculiar condition has caught renewed attention in Southern California after researchers at the University of California, Irvine studied seven surfers with the distinctive growths. Dr. Jeffrey Klein, a dermatology professor at UC Irvine and one of the researchers behind the study, said the growths can be mistaken for cancer \u2014 potentially sending otherwise healthy surfers down a nerve-racking path of testing and treatment. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese lesions are rather common in surfers,\u201d researchers wrote, noting that most surfers know somebody with the telltale soft, symmetrical chest bumps. <\/p>\n

The masses are believed to result from \u201cincessant low-intensity traumatic compression of subcutaneous tissue, squeezed between the costal margin and the hard deck of a surfboard while paddling in the prone position.\u201d<\/p>\n

The growths are different from the better-known \u201csurfer\u2019s knots,\u201d researchers say, which are hard, callus-like masses typically found on knees, feet, and shins of longboarders. Both are reportedly benign tissue growths.<\/p>\n

Surf icon Corky Carroll even went public about his bulging torso in a 2010 column<\/a>, referring to himself as \u201cthe man with four breasts.\u201d <\/p>\n

The growths tend to swell during peak surf seasons<\/a> and shrink slightly when surfers<\/a> take extended time just on dry land. For surfers keen to ditch the extra set of pecs, treatments range from adding extra padding to wetsuits to surgical removal and liposuction.<\/p>\n

However, doctors warn that if riders keep hitting the surf, the lumps can come right back. <\/p>\n

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