The Aporia · SoCal’s die-hard surfers are being diagnosed with this bizarre condition

SoCal’s die-hard surfers are being diagnosed with this bizarre condition

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Zalben, B. (2026, October 6). SoCal’s die-hard surfers are being diagnosed with this bizarre condition. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/06/lifestyle/strange-benign-chest-lumps-found-in-socal-surfers/

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Quick Summary

Doctors at the University of California, Irvine have identified a condition in long-time surfers characterized by fatty growths on their chests, dubbed “liposurfomas.” These growths develop from years of repeatedly pressing the chest against hard surfboards while paddling. The study involved seven surfers and found that although the lumps can resemble tumors, they are generally benign but may grow with continued surfing activity.

Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Doctors in California have identified "liposurfomas," strange fatty growths on the chests of long-time surfers. These benign but alarming lumps, often mistaken for tumors due to their appearance, form after years of repeated friction between a surfer’s torso and hard surfboards during paddling. Researchers at University of California, Irvine, studying seven affected surfers, found that these growths can grow larger with continued surfing and may lead healthy surfers through unnecessary cancer tests and treatments. Dr. Jeffrey Klein, a dermatology professor at UC Irvine involved in the research, noted that such lesions are common among surfers in Southern California.

Written for “Surfers Bizarre Condition Diagnosis” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

1 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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not political

takes no side on a contested political question

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66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Health

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Bianca Zalben

36 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 36 articles by Bianca Zalben →

Narrative

Claims (13 extracted, 1 hedged)

Surfers have long braved shark bites, reef scrapes, and the dreaded “surfer’s ear.” asserted

Surfers → brave → bites

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. uncertain

riders → age → chests

Doctors have identified the unusual lumps, called “liposurfomas,” in longtime surfers, who appear to develop them after years of repeatedly grinding their torsos against hard surfboards while paddling out. asserted

who → identify → surfboards

While the alarming masses can look like tumors, researchers say they appear to be benign — although they can grow larger with continued surfing. asserted

they → look → surfing

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. asserted

researchers → catch → 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 — potentially sending otherwise healthy surfers down a nerve-racking path of testing and treatment. asserted

growths → say → testing

“These lesions are rather common in surfers,” researchers wrote, noting that most surfers know somebody with the telltale soft, symmetrical chest bumps. asserted

surfers → write → bumps

The masses are believed to result from “incessant 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. asserted

masses → believe → position

The growths are different from the better-known “surfer’s knots,” researchers say, which are hard, callus-like masses typically found on knees, feet, and shins of longboarders. asserted

which → know → longboarders

Surf icon Corky Carroll even went public about his bulging torso in a 2010 column, referring to himself as “the man with four breasts.” asserted

Carroll → go → breasts

The growths tend to swell during peak surf seasons and shrink slightly when surfers take extended time just on dry land. asserted

surfers → tend → land

For surfers keen to ditch the extra set of pecs, treatments range from adding extra padding to wetsuits to surgical removal and liposuction. asserted

treatments → ditch → removal

However, doctors warn that if riders keep hitting the surf, the lumps can come right back. asserted

lumps → warn → surf

SoCal’s die-hard surfers are being diagnosed with this bizarre condition

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Claims (13 extracted, 1 hedged)