Can pilonidal cyst be cancerous?

If you’ve been recently diagnosed with a pilonidal cyst, you might be wondering if it could turn cancerous. Firstly, let’s take a deep breath and remind ourselves that WebMD is not our doctor, and we should always seek medical advice from professionals.

What Is a Pilonidal Cyst?

A pilonidal cyst is an unsightly lump that forms near the tailbone at the top of the buttocks crease. It occurs when hair follicles become infected and fill up with pus or fluid. In medical terms, ‘pilonid’ means nest of hairs while ‘cyst’ refers to a sac filled with gas, liquids or semisolid substances.

Symptoms

You’ll typically feel discomfort when sitting down as pressure applies on your lower back area. The most obvious sign will include reddish discoloration along with pain in some cases especially if left for too long without treatment. Unfortunately temporary relief may follow but won’t eliminate them completely unless proper care is taken.

Diagnosis

All puns intended folks – this means heading straight to your GP’s office. Depending on severity they may refer you to hospital specialists involving examination under sedation (local anesthesia) & imaging studies like MRI’s or CT scans etc., So don’t shy away from seeking diagnoses because you might want tush around unless getting drenched excites you.

Causes of Pilonidal Cysts

It’s still unclear why people develop these bizarre little bumps so close their bum crack (pun totally intended) but here are some reasons scientists have come up with:

  • Excessive sweating causing blockage
  • Obesity
  • Having excessive body hair growth like lumberjacks.
  • Friction by tight clothes
  • Irregular hygiene habits

Yup – turns out hygiene isn’t just a MYTH where moms scare us into brushing our teeth!

Who Typically Gets Pilonidal Cysts

Unfortunately contrary to popular belief, only the well-endowed and -fed do not qualify for a chance at developing these ‘tailbone eggs’ (another great pun right there) Anyone can get them however males are more prone than females. Also- If you have an occupation that requires long hours of sitting, this would increase your likelihood of developing pilonidal cysts.

Can A Pilonidal Cyst Turn Cancerous?

Alrighty bushmen, listen up being diagnosed with a P-cys does NOT increase your risk factor in contracting cancer anywhere in the body!  It is simply put an infection filled sack.

However as with most infections it’s advised not to let it become infected enough until warrants surgery which may lead to complications depending on history (medical/surgical), severity , and aftercare carried out once operation has been done.

Treatment Options

HEED THIS WARNING TALES PEOPLE – Leaving an infected Pilondial sac too long will ultimately result in drainage that smells like rotten hot dogs. ewww Here are ways one can go about treating these painful pests thoroughly:

Home Remedies

Mild cases may be treated delicately through self care:
– Antibiotic creams and NSAIDs
– Keeping area clean/dry
– Preventing further recurrence by regularly exfoliating excess hair or keeping trimmed short.
– Sitz Bath/heating pad therapy should help subside pain

Surgical Procedures

For severe pilonidal cysts involving unbearable pain/formation of multiple pockets doctors might recommend surgical operations. Some treatment options include:

Incisional Excision & Primary Closure

The symptoms along with other factors determine what course of action need taken during excision e.g location size number depth etc., Nevertheless the surgeon still comes up close and personal cutting into problematic sections creating uniform triangles then stitching back cleanly so wound heals without leaving scarring behind.

Our personal fave – The Phenol Treatment

This could take longer and more exhaustive after care is often required, but fear not fellow weirdness addicts! The cyst is vigorously cleaned to remove any hair remnants then the phenol acts as a cauterizing agent in order to diminish chances of future hair growth/further accumulation. Problem solved!

Conclusion

Ladies and Gentlemen we hope this has been informative on Pilonidal sacs. Remember its best practice to never let it get too far gone before seeking professional attention (ehm..ew). Thankfully, most cases are solvable through medical treatment or surgical procedures however even post surgery preventive measures such as keeping trimmed will ensure they don’t reoccur like that one Kardashian reality TV show in 2025 (another pun for good measure). Thanks for reading amigos!

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