Complete surgical removal of cysts and lipomas to prevent recurrence.
Surgical Removal
Cysts and lipomas are common, benign lumps beneath the skin -- cysts filled with keratin debris, lipomas made of soft fatty tissue. Removal involves surgically taking out the entire growth, including its capsule or sac, which is the most effective way to keep it from coming back.
Epidermoid (sebaceous) cysts and lipomas that are bothersome, growing, or that a patient would like removed.
Performed under local anesthesia, a small incision is made to remove the growth along with its surrounding capsule, then closed with stitches.
Most patients resume normal activity within a day or two, with stitches removed after one to two weeks depending on location.
Myth: Draining a cyst is the same as removing it. Fact: Draining only empties the contents -- the sac usually remains and the cyst typically returns unless the entire capsule is surgically removed.
If a cyst or lipoma is growing, uncomfortable, or repeatedly becoming inflamed, surgical removal is the most reliable way to resolve it permanently.