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Cosmetic Surgery Explained: Cyst Removal

Cysts seem to form in the body for no perceptible reason. They are usually completely benign and are membrane-covered sacs which appear on the surfaces of tissues or in spaces between layers of muscle and skin tissue. They are usually filled with solid-like sebum, fluid or air and on inspection, seem to be completely self-contained. Most cysts occur for apparently no reason, but some are due to an infection or to a defect during foetal development. Cysts can occur underneath the skin in the wrist, in which case they could be ganglion cysts. Other cysts forming in the skin could be sebaceous cysts. These can occur anywhere, even on the scalp. Generally the removal of cysts is considered to be a form of cosmetic surgery, however cysts can be more than simply cosmetic. Cysts have also been known to develop in other parts of the body like the vocal cords and in the ovaries. A particularly painful cyst has been known to develop in the coccyx region at the bottom of the spine. Known as a pilonital cyst, it is formed by ingrown hairs. Often, if it is unable to be drained and surgical cyst removal is necessary.

Often, in order to determine the nature of the cyst, a needle aspiration is done whereby fluids from the cyst are withdrawn to identify whether there is any infected matter inside the cyst, or whether the cell growth is out of control. Often antibiotics and analgesics are prescribed to reduce the cyst, with actual cyst removal kept as a last resort. If fluid from inside the cyst is infected the cyst may have to be lanced to drain the fluid and then covered with sterile dressings and antibiotics administered to clear up the infection. In the case of ovarian cysts, surgery may be necessary to remove the cyst, partly to rule out the possibility of the ovarian cysts being a precursor to ovarian cancer and partly to reduce pressure on surrounding organs such as the bladder. Cyst removal may also be necessary to prevent pain due to twisting or bleeding, or to reduce the chance of infertility occurring.