Cyst Removal in Boston

Dr. Taylor and Dr. Sullivan can safely and gently remove cysts under local anesthesia to improve the appearance or symptoms. Surgical excision is recommended because of the risk of growth, infection, and rupture. Removal may be covered by your health insurance plan if medically indicated. Some patients may want cysts removed for cosmetic reasons and do not need to use health insurance. The procedure can be performed with little to no pain or discomfort by using numbing medicine. Incisions can often be hidden in a nearby wrinkle or tissue fold and removal of cysts is usually straightforward.

For cyst removal on the scalp, Dr. Taylor and Dr. Sullivan do NOT cut or shave your hair. The incision is then meticulously closed, often with dissolving stitches that are buried and do not require removal. Patients recover quickly and can usually shower that day and return to normal activities. Both adults and children tolerate the procedure quite well. When it comes to cyst removal Boston plastic surgeons Dr. Taylor and Dr. Sullivan are comfortable caring for children and working on the face as they are not only plastic surgeons, they are both also fellowship trained in pediatric and craniomaxillofacial surgery. Patients recover quickly with little discomfort.

What are the possible diagnoses?

Common benign bumps include lipoma, epidermal inclusion cyst, sebaceous cyst, infundibular cyst, pilar cyst, dermoid cyst, pilomatrixoma, pilomatricoma, osteoid osteoma. Removal provides an opportunity to determine a diagnosis. Imaging studies such as CT scan, MRI or Ultrasound may be helpful though rarely necessary.

Sebaceous Cyst

Cysts form in the deep layers of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (fat layers) and slowly grow larger in size. Sometimes they connect with the overlying skin and appear as a "blackhead". They can also occasionally become infected. Cysts grow and can become physically deforming as well as compress surrounding structures. This cyst is approximately 2 cm in size and was easily and gently removed under local anesthesia alone. The patient felt no discomfort and the site was closed with dissolving buried stitches that do not need to be removed. When cyst removal is meticulously performed such as with this lesion, the chance of growing back is extremely low and the recovery is straightforward.

Osteoid Osteoma

Benign bone growth of the skull that can mimic a cyst, though originates from the bone rather than the soft tissue. Left untreated, they can continue to grow larger and invade the skull bones. This osteoma is approximately 1 cm in size and was easily and gently removed under sedation and local anesthesia. The small incision was placed in an overlying wrinkle. When they occur under the scalp, no hair is removed or shaved. The patient felt little to no discomfort and recovered without interruption in usual activities.