Cysts

Epidermal inclusion cysts form after a blockage to a hair follicle. Skin cells are naturally shed by your body as the cells start to die. This shedding process can be disturbed if you have a skin condition such as acne, persistent sun damage, surgical wounds, or scratches. This causes these cells and other substances, such as keratin, to become trapped and accumulate under the skins surface. Epidermal inclusion cysts are the most common type of skin cyst. They form from either a blockage of the hair follicle, or after a trauma - even something as small as a bad scratch, where the outer skin cells get trapped under the skin! Our skin cells naturally shed off our bodies, and if they are caught under the skin a cyst can form. The cells and keratin fill the contents of the cyst. The cyst will feel like a small round bump under the skin, can have a tiny blackhead plugging the central opening and sometimes a thick, smelly cheesy substance can leak from the cyst. These cysts are harmless, slow growing, of often painless. Many patient seek our surgical removal because they do not like the cyst looks or if it is in a location that is bothersome.

Cysts can have a pattern of becoming inflamed and then settling. If an inflamed cyst then disappears there is a strong chance that it will come back again. The skin cells that are typically shed from the body are enclosed in a wall, called a sac. Keratin, the main ingredient in cyst pus, is produced by the sac. Even if your cyst bursts and drains, unless the sac is removed it could come back again. It is not certain that a cyst will reappear, but there is still a chance. A simple in-office surgery called cyst wall removal typically prevents the cyst from returning.

There is no evidence to suggest that stress plays a significant role in the development of sebaceous cysts.

Cysts are removed with a quick and simple office procedure. We use local freezing to numb the area so you are very comfortable. The cyst will be removed along with the capsule (the sac that the cyst is enclosed in) in order to reduce the risk of the cyst returning. The small incision is then expertly closed with tiny sutures by one of our board-certified Plastic Surgeons to create as minimal as scar as possible.

Thankfully, cyst removal is a very simple process so we can address the problem before it has a chance to develop into a serious problem. If the cyst becomes inflamed or infected we need to treat it with drainage and wait for the infection to resolve before removing the cyst. Once the cyst is stable and not inflamed we can remove it with a simple office procedure using local numbing to the skin. You can return home, or to work, the same day.