Sebaceous Cyst Removal (do it yourself) (ears, break, cause, cysts)
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I have had one for three years above my cheek bone. Extremely embarrassing at times.
To remove it I used bentonite clay (which can be ordered online).
Make a thick paste and apply whenever you have time and allow to dry, then gently wash it off and reapply.
This will draw the infection to the surface. It will take a few weeks for the cyst to completely disappear and it will weep for a while.
During this time try not to sqeeze it excessively and let it drain naturally.....Good luck
PS...I tried to draw it out with salt for months prior and this had limited success compared to the clay...it also has numerous other benefits so do some research .
I've come across this thread several times over the past couple of years, and I'd like to offer some input to those of us who suffer from sebaceous cysts. I've had a wild ride over the years. I had three cysts on my head ranging from the size of an airsoft bullet to the size of a pea - one about an inch away from behind my right ear (right the hair line), one on the top (right where the hair spirals out), and one right on the scalp (about three inches straight down from the top cyst). The one behind my ear was there for at least 8-10 years, not sure about the others. I was losing my mother's insurance due to turning 27, so she urged me to have them looked at by my regular dermatologist, who then recommended me to a plastic surgeon for removal. The surgeon shot each with a local, then away he went. I didn't even notice that he had started working until the first one was out! He stitched em up, gave me a prescription for Vicodin just in case, and away I went. The spots were sore for a day or two but healed nicely. Fast forward to today. I do have a scar in each spot, but because they're in fairly inconspicuous spots only I really know that they're there (except for the occasional curious hair-stylist). I do have a bit of a divot from the scalp cyst, but again, no biggy.
Not long after that surgery, I discovered ANOTHER ONE on the back of my head. It was much smaller than the others, so I didn't think much of it. Fast forward a couple of years, one day I woke up feeling awful, like my head was about to explode from pressure. I then noticed that the cyst on the back of my head was tender. Turns out I had a sinus infection, but after it cleared up the cyst felt odd, almost like it had "changed." I went back to the same surgeon who discovered that the cyst had actually burst on its own. He was actually able to pull out the remnants of the sac right there on the spot. Away I went.
During all of that time, I had this small spot on my right cheek. I never thought much of it, other than sometimes squeezing it thinking it was some kind of a magical pimple that wouldn't go away. Well, a couple of years ago, for no real reason at all I decided to go to town on it. I squeezed the hell out of it, a little bit of cheese came out, that was that. WELL....literally by the end of the day the bugger had literally quadrupled in size and was quite sore. It stayed like that for many days before I decided to go back to the dermo. I'll say this. I had moderately bad acne in high school, and that cyst was easily the most embarrassing facial imperfection I have ever had in my life. The dermatologist first decided to jam a massive needle into it to see if he could drain it. Nope. His response was "hmmm....it's not ripe yet." He then shot it with a hydrocortisone shot to reduce inflammation. Let's just say if you've never had a cortisone shot injected into your face, keep it that way. Extremely painful, but it worked quite well. He also told me to use hot compresses for 20 minutes twice a day. Honestly, I just couldn't keep up with it, so eventually it grew back to its ugly inflamed size. Another couple of weeks went by, and I decided I'd had enough. I soaked it twice a day like he said, but at night I would do it for about 45 minutes. After another week or so I thought I was getting nowhere and I'd be stuck with this accursed behemoth on my face the rest of my life. Well, one night I took the compress off my face and noticed a little bit of puss. I started to squeeze and BAM!!! It erupted like Pompeii. Ecstatic, I squeezed until it was just draining blood, then a clear liquid. I slept well that night. It drained like that for the next few days, but then shortly after it came back. A bit bigger than when I first discovered it, but not nearly the size of the infection. Because of my resulting scarring from the first surgery I'm very reluctant to have it removed. I try to soak it daily, but again, it's just tough to do regularly, especially when you don't see daily results. People tell me they don't notice it, but I do, and it's just obnoxious.
As a recap - if you're considering surgery, it works. It's the best option for removal, but it will scar. Hot compresses DO work, but you need patience and time. Just when you thought you're getting nowhere, it'll either come to a head or shrink into oblivion. Creams, oils, etc. only work on a case by case basis. Don't use them expecting them to work. If it erupts on you, try to do what you can to get that sac out. Otherwise, you'll be fighting a lifelong battle. Anyways, those are my very long two cents.
thanks for all your suggestions on this thread, recently I was combing my hair a bit too vigorously and accidentally pierced the cyst that grew alongside my part line for years. I saw a bit of blood and possibly some of the matter inside and took the opportunity to squeeze out whatever was inside. Sure enough, the matter burst out but I could still feel the core lump and no matter how hard I squeezed it wouldn't budge. It was sore and not sure if it was healing because every time I got out of the shower I could hear water coming out when I pressed it. So after doing some online searching, I decided to have another go at this cyst and get rid of it for good. I purchased some topical gum numbing cream (and a after a few glasses of wine for pain and to overcome what I was about to do next) I made a small incision with a razor blade. There was some blood but it didn't hurt any more than a paper cut and again began squeezing, eventually after some effort and squeezing as hard as I could, the core popped out. It was about the size of a navy bean but more dense and rubbery like extra firm tofu or shellfish meat. I then disinfected the area, applied antibiotic cream twice a day and didn't wash my hair for about 4 days until the small scab looked healed. There is barley a scar now. I was so happy with the results, I went ahead and lanced the second cyst I had growing it was bigger and further back of my head. I had to do it in two sessions as well, the first to get the softer matter then then second to get at the core. This one the core was different, it encased the matter and was difficult to get out. I kept squeezing and squeezing and finally the whole sac just exploded out - it shot out of my head like a canon ball! It landed in the sink and was about the size of a grape or marble. The skin of this core was similar to the first, very dense and rubbery. I then applied antibiotic cream, I could feel a big dent where the cyst was. It looks like its healing up as the first one did, and won't be washing my hair until I see a dry well formed scab. Making an incision is the only way to go, so be prepared to see some blood and feel a bit uncomfortable during the process. I'm happy to save the money as I had looked into what it would cost a few years ago. I wouldn't have even thought of doing it myself if I hadn't accidentally whacked the first cyst with a large toothed comb. If there are any signs of infection get to a doctor immediately, especially if these cysts are on your head. My mom gave me hell after I told her, I was just happy to have these things gone for good.
Go to your local dermatologist and have it injected with steroids, it will usually go away within two - three days, if it comes back have it removed. Do "NOT" squeeze them! If the sack breaks under the skin it causes the waxey substance to get mixed in with the skin fibers. If this happens and they then have to cut it out, it will not heal properly and the scar will be ugly! I know I have three of these ugly scars. I also have 3 other cysts that need removed! These things are nasty little bast##ds!
So many outright dumb answers in this 2015 thread.
More now thanks to Dr Pimplepopper (the quack Dr Oz of dermatology)
GO TO A DERMATOLOGIST, this is not a DIY project!!!
I've seen some severely infected and scarred faces from stupid DIY jobs
I love her show! I don't think she is a quack at all. I agree you should not DIY.
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