Cysts feel like soft blisters when they are close to the skin's surface, but they can feel like hard lumps when they develop deeper beneath the skin. A hard cyst near to the surface of the skin usually contains trapped dead skin cells or proteins.
Never Try to Pop It
Most cysts are practically impossible to pop by squeezing or picking at them with your fingers. In the process of trying to pop it, you can end up sending bacteria and sebum below the hair follicles. This can cause the materials to spread even further and result in more cysts.
Epidermoid cysts form when surface skin cells move deeper into the skin and multiply. These cells form the wall of the cyst and secrete a soft, yellowish substance called keratin, which fills the cyst. Sebaceous cysts form inside glands that secrete an oily substance called sebum.
How can a physician treat my cyst or abscess? In a fine needle aspiration procedure, a thin needle is inserted into the cyst, after the area has been numbed. Your medical provider will drain the cyst's fluids through the needle. Patients typically experience no discomfort to minimal discomfort during the procedure.
Diagnosis of cysts
Infection – the cyst fills with bacteria and pus, and becomes an abscess. If the abscess bursts inside the body, there is a risk of blood poisoning (septicaemia). Peritonitis – if an internal cyst bursts, there is a risk of peritonitis, which is inflammation of the membrane lining the abdominal wall.
Normally, these cells move up to the surface of the skin as they start to die so they can be shed. But the cells sometimes move deeper into the skin and multiply, forming a sac. They secrete keratin into the middle of the sac, which forms a thick, yellow paste. This can ooze out of the cyst if it's burst.
Try applying a hot, wet compress to the cyst a few times a day. The heat will help pull out the pus, allowing the cyst to drain. This can relieve pain and itching. You might also try soaking the area in a warm, shallow bath.
A cyst will not heal until it is lanced and drained or surgically excised. Without treatment, cysts will eventually rupture and partially drain. It may take months (or years) for these to progress. Once they rupture, the painful sebaceous cyst will likely return if the pocket lining is not removed entirely.
Once the area surrounding the cyst is clean, apply a warm compress to the area. The warmth and moisture helps encourage the trapped substance to work its way out of the hair follicle without the need for popping the cyst. You can also use a soft warm, moist washcloth for the same results.
A small incision will be made so that we can access the fluid-filled sac from beneath the skin. If your cyst has already ruptured, we may use a sharp knife to create a hole and drain the contents. Otherwise, we will make a small incision around the cyst and remove the entire pocket of skin cells.
A complicated cyst is similar to a simple cyst, but it has what looks like 'debris' floating in the fluid. Complicated cysts are very unlikely to be cancer, but in some cases a doctor might advise a follow-up exam or a procedure to remove the fluid with a thin, hollow needle, just to be sure.
If the cyst has solid components, it may be benign or malignant and should have further evaluation. Often this is done with repeat imaging to see if the cyst grows over time. The best test to determine whether a cyst or tumor is benign or malignant is a biopsy.
Dermoid cysts: Also known simply as dermoids or teratomas, these are cysts that fill with debris like hair, skin or teeth after forming as embryonic cells instead of eggs. These will need to be surgically removed, but they rarely lead to cancer or other complications.
If you have a sebaceous cyst, do not attempt to pop it yourself or with another person's help- this could lead to an infection, or you might not remove the entire cyst and then require more extensive dermatological treatment down the line.
People can keep a cyst and the area around it clean at home by washing it with a clean cloth, cotton wool, or medical dressing material. Bathe the cyst gently with clean, warm water, and then dab it dry.
If a cyst has become infected, it may look red due to inflammation. Infected cysts can also have a whitish appearance due to the presence of pus. The pus may smell unpleasant. A person should see a doctor if they suspect any infections.
It's usually caused by trauma or damage to the sebaceous glands, such as from cuts or surgical wounds. A large cyst may cause pressure and pain. It's noncancerous and very slow growing.
The material in the cyst is often cheesy, fatty, or oily. The material can be thick (like cottage cheese) or liquid. The area around the cyst may smell bad. If the cyst breaks open, the material inside it often smells bad too.
But infected cysts may need to be cut and drained. To do this, your provider makes a hole in (punctures) the top and removes the contents. Large cysts can come back after this procedure and may have to be surgically removed (excised).
A cyst is a pocket-like area, within tissue, that is not normally there. It can be filled with fluid, blood, tissue, hair, bone, a foreign body, etc. If it is filled with pus, it becomes an abscess. Cysts can occur anywhere on or in your body.
Large cysts (>5 to 10 cm) are more likely to require surgical removal compared with smaller cysts. However, a large size does not predict whether a cyst is cancerous. If the cyst appears suspicious for cancer.
If a cyst is infected, a hot compress will also help bring the lump to a head. If the cyst begins to drain, keep it covered with a bandage. Be observant regarding any drainage that is coming from your cyst.
Needle aspiration. Instead of doing an incision, the doctor will use a small needle to enter the cyst and remove the fluid.