Cyst Removal

Skin cysts are common, benign (non-cancerous) growths that can occur anywhere on the body. Cysts usually appear as round, dome-shaped lumps that lie beneath the skin. They can feel firm or fluctuant, and sometimes have a pore on the overlying skin. If a cyst is squeezed, whitish malodourous material may discharge from the pore.

There are several types of skin cysts. The commonest is the epidermal (sebaceous) cyst, which can occur anywhere on the body. Trichilemmal cysts are usually found on the scalp. Acne cysts are not “true” cysts but pseudocysts, and are usually found on the face.

Skin cysts can be of various sizes and will usually stop growing after a while. Patients should avoid squeezing a cyst, as it may lead to cyst rupture, inflammation, pain, and swelling. A skin cyst drained by squeezing often forms back again. Skin cysts on the back and the thighs are prone to rupture and inflammation when one lies or sits down, and hence should be removed.

Many skin cysts can be left alone, and no particular treatment is required. However, treatment is advisable under certain circumstances: when a cyst causes pain and swelling due to inflammation or infection, when it resides in areas like the back or legs, making it susceptible to rupture, for aesthetic purposes, or to confirm the diagnosis. Simple incision and draining of the skin cyst are usually inadequate, and the cyst is likely to recur. Complete surgical excision, removing the whole sac of the cyst, ensures the cyst is unlikely to recur.

Skin cyst removal can be done in our clinic, under local anaesthesia, like a day surgery. A small incision is made over the cyst, the skin is stretched apart, and the cyst underneath is located and removed completely with its whole lining sac. For small and non-inflamed skin cysts, a mini-incision can be made and then closed with only a few stitches. This reduces the size of the scar.