Sebaceous Cyst Removal (do it yourself) (infected, hair, surgery, doctor)
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Forget the hospital, go see a dermatologist f you don't do something at home. They are qualified to deal with this and much cheaper than an ER visit. But yes, unless the sac is removed, it WILL fill again.
My husband had one removed from his back. It was about the size of a kidney bean, and he had it for years. I can't imagine trying to dig that out for him. Gaaaaaaaaaaaah ...
I get them on my face. What I do is punch a hole in it with a needle or lancet and loosen it up so a little blood comes out. Then just grab it and mash the fire out of it. I had one on the side of my face I did that a this white thing about the size of a pea came out then there was a hair rolled up in there about 5" long. I ripped it out and mashed out some more blood and it went awway.
Considering it's location, it's best if you get it looked at by a doctor. Get the phone book and make phone calls. Explain that you don't have insurance but can pay in cash or are willing to make payments. Are you a college student? Some universities have a student clinic they can visit. There are some walk-in clinics that are staffed by doctors that are much more affordable than a hospital ER. Unless it becomes seriously infected and you're running a high fever, I wouldn't go to an ER. If you can't find a doctor or clinic that can deal with this or won't work with you on a payment you can afford then consider an ER. If you're prone to skin problems from shaving there, stop shaving there. I have the opposite problem on my face. I can grow a great moustache and chin hair but I develop thick scaly scabs on my face under the hair. Happens every time I tried so now I shave my entire face at least once every other day. Decide which is more important to you: clean shave with skin problems or hair but no skin problems.
I get these too, In my nether regions, under my armpits. The doctors told me at first to exfoliate.
Then they went from pimple size to sometimes the length of crayon. I do not know where these people are thinking these things will get a head they are not in the top skin tissue. They are not ingrown hairs!
They are build up or blockage of toxins that your body is not able to excrete. They sometimes will hold cancer cells.
My doctor said not to drain if its in area where it will get infected which means if its in a crease of skin, NO, do not drain, but if its not you can.
The fastest relief I have ever seen of cysts was after soaking in hot tub. The hot tub had tons of chlorine in it though from the smell of it but all my cysts were gone for about three days. I can not wear deodorant because it makes them worse.
The doc said she does not want to see me for them unless they get humongous and need to be drained or if it is blocking a lymph node (or is in the lymph node) she said hot compresses and ibuprofen or aspirin. She said it was ok to put tea tree oil on it if i wanted and could use witch hazel if I wish.
However I have been diagnosed with something that gives me infections in my glands and my joints when it affects my nerves if it gets bad enough makes the chicken pox virus active again. ( if you happen to get that the best thing ever is mixing tea tree oil in your lotion and putting it on However it burns, do not use on kids, but stops the itch . the pink stuff was not working)
Keep putting the black tarry stuff on--drawing salve works fairly slowly, but it does eventually work and you've got a hard lump of tissue in there and you can't get it out till it surfaces. It will and then you can pick it off. I know, b/c I recently had the same deal. I've also noticed that when I use an electric shaver I'm less prone to these types of things than if use a regular razor.
They are called epidermal cysts now, and about half of things people mentioned in this thread were not this sort of cyst at all. Bottom line - this is NOT a DIY procedure. You really should leave this to a professional. I recommend a dermatologist because the one I had removed by a GP left a huge ugly scar and never quite healed right - a dematologist has a lot more experience and the ones removed by them have all healed nicely. (Yes, I am prone to this sort of cyst) But it's not like a zit, you can't just pop it and be done with it, you can not draw it to the surface - that entire sac must be surgically removed whole or it will just come back. They are not full of "toxins". They usually form when sebaceous glands are damaged (often by acne) and the material inside is keratin and sebum (oil).
even putting aside the issues of self-diagnosis, improper aseptic surgical technique, lack of histological follow up, and a dozen other problems which all carry their own risks, trying to drain a sebaceous cyst yourself is inadvisable simply because unless the sac of tissue which lines the inside of the cyst is surgically removed, it will almost certainly recur.
if it doesn't bother you, leave it well alone. if it does, then get it dealt with properly, by a professional, otherwise you will be putting yourself at risk of complications for a problem which will almost certain come back.
Yep. It could also be the beginning of an abscess. And the doctor will want to test the fluid. Ugh!
Yeh, I have had a couple of them abscess and it is no fun whatsoever! If you have an epidermal cyst, keep your hands off it! They will usually lie there quietly for years, but if you start touching it too much, particularly squeezing it or rolling it around, it can become extremely inflamed and boy does that hurt. When it is in this state it is difficult to impossible to fully remove it. Have it removed while it is quiescent.
I have about 4 skittle size bumps on my upper abdominal area right underneath my pecs, I also have a problem with the way they look. I went to my dermatologist and got them diagnosed as sebaceous cyst. My Dr. gave me 2 options. 1 have them surgically removed, or 2 have Retin-A prescribed. I had the Retin-A prescribed and have been using it for about a week now and the bumps have shrunk about half in size. Supposedly the Retin A cream forces new skin to develop and destroys the sebum sac. You may want to give this a try as well. Hope this helps
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