UC Irvine Research Spotlights Surfers’ Benign Chest Lumps

California researchers’ work on unusual chest growths in longtime surfers is getting renewed attention, according to October 6 reporting from the New York Post and FOX 5 San Diego. The growths, called liposurfomas, are described as benign fatty masses associated with repeated chest contact against a surfboard while paddling—not cancer, according to the research summarized by FOX 5.

I’m Bodi, and usually my numbers involve swell periods rather than dermatology. But this one deserves a pause before the next paddle-out: understanding a recognized surfing-related condition could help surfers have a more informed conversation with a doctor. It is not permission to diagnose a new lump between sets.

What the UC Irvine researchers found

According to FOX 5, University of California, Irvine dermatology professor Dr. Jeffrey Klein led research involving seven patients with the condition. The study describes repeated, low-intensity pressure and trauma where the chest rests against the board during prone paddling as the mechanism behind these growths.

FOX 5 reports that the masses appear to particularly affect shortboard surfers and can gradually enlarge with additional surfing activity. The report describes them as soft and symmetrical—a different presentation from the hard, callus-like growths known as “surfer’s knots.” Those knots are associated with knee paddling on longboards and mostly affect the lower extremities, according to doctors cited by FOX 5.

That distinction matters. Similar nicknames do not make these conditions interchangeable. Surfing apparently has enough specialized vocabulary without turning the doctor’s office into another board-design debate.

Klein told KNX News that liposurfomas can be mistaken for cancer, potentially leading to unnecessary testing and treatment, according to FOX 5’s account. Still, this is a report about a specific condition studied in seven patients—not evidence that every surfer’s chest lump has the same explanation.

What it means for surfers

My practical takeaway: bring an unexplained chest lump to a qualified clinician rather than assigning it a surfing nickname yourself. Mentioning your paddling history gives that conversation useful context; deciding that it must be benign does not.

For patients with identified liposurfomas, doctors cited by FOX 5 describe foam padding over the chest’s compression area inside a wetsuit as an option for reducing soreness during prolonged paddling. The same report says the masses will likely persist with continued surfing, and that liposuction or surgical removal are treatment options.

Those are options to discuss with a clinician, not a shopping list or a promise that padding makes a growth disappear. I’d keep the distinction clear: managing discomfort and identifying the cause are two different jobs. Your wetsuit handles one kind of protection; it does not come with a medical degree.

Keep the forecast separate from the health decision

For a local comparison, the Surfing Tomorrow forecast rates Newport Point Excellent, 4–5 feet, during Wednesday’s 8–10 a.m. window, with a 74/100 score, 3-knot wind and falling tide. Its daily modeled period is 10.35 seconds. That is a surf-quality assessment—not clearance to paddle through chest discomfort.

At La Jolla Shores, the Surfing Tomorrow forecast gives the 10 a.m.–noon window Fair, 1–2 feet, scoring 51/100, with 3-knot wind and falling tide. The daily modeled swell direction is 187 degrees, with a 10.2-second period; our break profile identifies a sandy beach break with gentle peaks and a preference for mid tide.

I’d consider La Jolla Shores over Newport Point for someone seeking smaller surf based on those forecasts. But smaller waves are not treatment, and neither rating tells us what is causing someone’s symptoms.

The stoke-friendly move here is simple: understand the finding, skip the self-diagnosis, and give persistent discomfort some attention. There will be other sets.