What Does a Pilonidal Cyst Look Like?

What Does a Pilonidal Cyst Look Like?
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A pilonidal cyst, sometimes referred to as a pilonidal abscess, almost always forms at the top part of the cleft of the buttocks near the tailbone. They are defined as abnormal pockets within the skin that typically contain skin debris, hair, and other abnormal tissue. Many of these cysts do not cause any symptoms until they become infected so the only way to recognize one is to know what a pilonidal cyst looks like.

Appearance of a Pilonidal Cyst

These cysts appear to be a small hole or pit. In many cases, there will be a few hairs protruding from the small hole. What a pilonidal cyst looks like when it is infected includes pink to red coloration and a swollen appearance.

Pilonidal Cyst Symptoms

When these cysts are not infected, they often produce no symptoms. When they do become infected, they become an abscess (swollen mass). The symptoms of an infected pilonidal cyst include pain, protruding hairs from the pilonidal sinus, localized swelling, draining pus causing a foul smell, reddening of the skin, fever (this is not common), and drainage of blood or pus from an opening in the skin.

Causes of Pilonidal Cysts

The exact cause has not been agreed upon, but there are several things thought to cause these cysts. Some of these include skin rubbing against skin, loose hairs penetrating the skin, tight clothing, bicycling or similar activities, and sitting for prolonged periods of time. Some think that when the deep layers of skin are normally moved or stretched, a hair follicle may rupture or become enlarged resulting in a cyst forming around a ruptured hair follicle.

Risk Factors

Certain risk factors can make a person more vulnerable to developing these cysts. The risk factors include obesity, excess sweating, inactive lifestyle, poor hygiene, sports or occupation that requires a lot of sitting, coarse or stiff hair, and excess body hair.

Pilonidal Cyst Treatments

There are two main treatment methods that can be used to treat an infected pilonidal cyst. Incision and drainage is the treatment method used on almost all of these cysts. A doctor will numb the area with a local anesthetic, lance the abscess, drain it, and remove any hairs or debris. They will then pack the area with dressing to allow it to heal both on the outside and on the inside. Patients may also be prescribed an antibiotic to prevent infection.

Surgery can be used to treat these cysts. This is most often done when a patient has experienced more than one pilonidal cyst. The surgeon will expose all sinus tracts and the cyst and then clean out any pus, hairs, and other debris. There are two different types of surgery including open wound and closed wound. Open wound will be packed to heal like when the cyst is simply lanced. With a closed wound the surgeon will use stitches to close the wound after cleaning it out. With both types of surgery, the patient may be prescribed antibiotic to prevent infection.

Resources

Mayo Clinic. (2008). Pilonidal Cyst. Retrieved on February 22, 2010 from the Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pilonidal-cyst/DS00747

Image Credits

Pilonidal Cyst: JerryTahl – Wikimedia Commons