Mimi: Your boyfriend probably has a sebaceous cyst. The old name was Wen. Each hair follicle has a sebaceous (fat) gland attached to it. The oil should be poured into the hair follicle and absorb into the hair shaft to keep the hair shiny and lubricate the skin. If the follicle or pore becomes clogged, several things can happen. If the skin grows over the follicle and the oil just stays there, the oil can freeze into a hard little “seed” called Epstein’s Pearls. These whiteheads are not infected. They just sit there and they won’t go away alone. DO NOT choose them. They must be removed by a professional esthetician or dermatologist.
The follicle can become infected with Staph and boil. You can get infected with P. acnes and turn into an acne pimple.
Or the oil can keep building up and building up and forming a sebaceous cyst. These are benign. They do not hurt and can be ignored.
Doctors usually remove cysts. They cut two lines in an ellipse around the cyst. They remove the affected hair follicle and the sebaceous gland. The two incision lines are then brought together and sutured. The result is a scar that sinks below the surface of the skin. The cleft is caused by the tissue that was removed. Most doctors prefer to remove the cyst rather than drain it. By removing it completely, it disappears permanently. With drainage, there is a chance that it will come back. Also, draining the cyst is a tedious and complicated job.
If you are ready to drain a cyst, these are your instructions. DO NOT CUT THE SKIN. The accumulated oil in the cyst will probably have gone rancid and will stink. It is not an infection, so you do not need to wear gloves. However, since it sucks, I recommend wearing disposable gloves. Have a plastic bag handy to dispose of the paper. Use paper towels, toilet paper, cotton wool, or gauze. You will need more than you think if the cyst drains. The cysts are usually found on the back, so have the “victim” lie down. Massage the cyst to soften the hardened oil. The oil will have turned into a lumpy liquid. It looks like cottage cheese. With the fingers covered in paper, bend the index fingers so that the side of each finger is along the cyst. Do not use the tips of your fingers because they are not strong enough and will tire.
Press toward the center of the cyst. Move your fingers to another position and press deeply and firmly. You are trying to find the clogged pore that the oil will leak out of. Once a little white or yellow “thread” comes out, you know what pore to work on. Continue pressing and changing position. As the yellow or white old oil tape comes out, continue pressing and cleaning it. You can also support your thumbs with the sides of your hands and press with your thumbs. You need to be firm. You can push with your knuckles. Feel the cyst and reach the outer edge. Don’t press right where the clogged pore is or you won’t be successful.
Between pressing and cleaning, massage the cyst. When nothing comes out, you probably have a chunk of frozen oil. Keep pressing firmly. Be careful, when the bulge comes out under the pressure of your pressure, it can “explode” like Vesuvius. The stinky goo can shoot 2 feet or even more. Continue pressing and cleaning until the bump feels flat. The pressure is uncomfortable for the “victim” but not painful. Wipe the clean area. Since the cyst is not an infection, no special cleaning is needed other than disposing of the stinky paper towels in the trash.
After the cyst is drained, it may never come back. Or it may reappear repeatedly. So drain it again, whenever it gets troublesome. If this seems too disgusting, ask your skin care specialist if it drains sebaceous cysts. Some facialists are not trained in paramedical aesthetics. Some don’t like it or don’t know how to do it. Call until you find someone who has done this job and you are not grossed out by it. The rate will probably not be $ 1.25 per minute. A flat fee can be impossible to calculate because no one knows how long it will take until the job is actually done.