Guide To Preventing And Treating A Pilonidal Cyst

Surgical Removal Of The Cyst

If simply draining the pilonidal cyst does not work, patients may need to consider seeking surgical removal instead. There are a few different methods for surgical cyst removal. A common one is marsupialization, which involves draining the pilonidal cyst and then sewing the edges of the cut to create a small drainage hole that remains open. This can reduce the recurrence of pilonidal cysts and keeps patients from needing to switch out gauze packing each day until it heals. In cases where the pilonidal cyst has turned into an abscess, patients may require a more intense surgery to cut away any infected or damaged skin around the cyst. This removes all dead tissue and leaves behind healthy skin to heal properly.

Patients with recurring cysts may need pilonidal cystectomy surgery, which involves anesthesia that puts the patient to sleep before the doctor removes all the tissue and hair follicles surrounding the cyst. It leaves a bigger scar in the area, but it does greatly reduce the chances of the pilonidal cyst coming back.

Read about the next option for treating pilonidal cysts now.