Do skin cysts need to be removed?

If you have a skin cyst, which is a round or oval-shaped lump that is filled with fluid, then you might wonder what to do. Cysts are growths on your skin, but do they need to be removed? 

Before you start trying to remove the cyst yourself, you need to look at the different types of cysts and also ensure that you know how to remove them, either yourself or with the aid of a doctor.

Get Your Cyst Diagnosed

Cysts are just one of the too many things that can be found on your skin. Lipomas, boils, acne, bumps, skin abscesses, and other blemishes can be found all over your skin, and it is important to have your cyst diagnosed by a doctor or dermatologist.

They will be able to perform a biopsy, which is where they take a piece of your cyst and inspect it using a microscope. Then they can determine if the cyst is harmless, or if the bump looks like a cyst but is instead something else.

If the cyst needs to be removed by your healthcare provider, then you might find that they can use several methods to remove it. Again, for the most part, cysts are harmless and won’t cause a lot of problems for you, but if they do need to be removed, then you can expect some of these procedures to be used by people who specialize in cyst removal services, such as the London Dermatology Clinic. 

Methods To Remove Cysts

Drainage

Once you are put under local anesthesia, then the doctor will go and make a small incision into the cyst and then drain out whatever is inside. Your doctor will finish and drain out the cyst, and then you will need to take some antibiotics after the procedure to ward off infection.

Drainage can also be done with a procedure called fine needle aspiration, where tiny needles are inserted into the cyst to drain the fluid.

Surgery 

If the skin cyst is very large, then you might need surgery to remove it. Much like draining a cyst, a surgeon will place local anesthesia on the area and will make an incision. Only this time instead of draining the cyst, the skin cyst will be completely cut away from your body and won’t come back. You will get a scar though, as removing the cyst can require your skin to be stitched up afterward.

Removing A Cyst At Home

This is something that you should not do, even if you feel like you can do it yourself, or succumb to the temptation to simply pop a cyst-like it is a zit.

Removing a cyst at home can actually make the situation worse because popping or bursting the cyst with a sharp object can cause an infection or permanent scarring of the area. You could also risk spreading an infection further or harming surrounding tissues of the body. 

You shouldn’t remove a cyst on your own, and the only time you should be dealing with your cyst on your own is whenever you are taking care of it after the surgery. You can also use home remedies to remove the cyst if your doctor recommends it.

Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs can be used for pain relief, or you can apply a warm towel or compress to the cyst for 10 to 30 minutes three to five times a day. This can help to ease inflammation and also can allow the cyst to drain. 

It does take a few months or weeks for a cyst to clear itself up, but if you find that the cyst isn’t clearing up, or is growing, bleeding, or becoming irritated, then you need to reach out to a doctor again.

Be Calm About Cysts Until You Have More Information

While you should respect cysts and inspect them for any pain or bleeding or unnatural growth, you don’t need to have every single cyst on your body removed. Most cysts are harmless and won’t cause any health problems for you, so until you get a biopsy from your doctor you don’t need to worry about them. 

As long as you don’t remove a cyst at home and instead seek a doctor’s support, a cyst on your body is nothing to be worried about. Until you have more information, you need to simply keep an open mind about the cyst and embrace it as a blemish on your body.

Written by Jacob Scott