Cysts and Lipomas

There any many different kinds of lumps and bumps throughout the body. The two most common ones we see and specialize in are cysts and lipomas.

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What are cysts? 

Cysts occur when skin cells move deeper into the skin instead of to the surface of the skin so they can shed. The skin cells get trapped in a sac-like pocket and fill with a liquid or semisolid substance that may cause inflammation and pain. Cysts can occur anywhere in the body.

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How do you remove cysts? 

Some small cysts can be left alone. However, cysts can grow or become inflamed over time. Do not try to drain the cyst yourself, as it can become infected and painful! We recommend that you schedule an office visit with us to see if we need to drain the cyst, inject it with a local steroid to pacify the inflammation, or to treat a possible infection. If we think it is infected, we will collect a culture of the fluid and send it to the lab to confirm and we may prescribe you antibiotics.

The removal of the cyst consists of us injecting the cyst with a local anesthetic to numb the area. Then, we drain the cyst and remove the sac so that the cyst is completely removed and does not reoccur. We may need to place sutures depending on the size of the cyst. We remove the sutures after 7-14 days. Please contact our office if you have a cyst. Cysts that are left untreated or that are picked at can become infected.  

 

What are lipomas? 

Lipomas are single or multiple “bumps” of fat cells that are soft, round, and move easily over the overlying skin. They can be small or very large. They usually occur on the neck, trunk, arms, and legs, but can be found anywhere on the body. Lipomas can grow in size and become disfiguring or bothersome.

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How do you remove a lipoma? 

Removal of the lipoma consists of injection the region with a local anesthetic to numb the area. Then, we make a small incision in the skin and remove the lipoma. You may need some sutures depending on how large the incision is. You will follow up with us in 7-14 days to remove the sutures depending on the location of the lesion. We will send the lipoma to a pathologist to confirm it is a benign growth. The entire process is generally swift and comfortable and we recommend planning on a total of one hour for the entire procedure. Please contact our office for a consultation for any lipomas and we would be happy to provide a quote.

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