Pilonidal Sinus: Causes of Tailbone Cysts and Treatment

Table Of Content

• Fascinating Facts You Probably Never Knew About Your Skin
• Research and Statistics: Who Has Pilonidal Cysts and How Prevalent Are These Cysts?
• Back Acne (‘Bacne’): Why Pimples Pop Up and How to Prevent and Get Rid of Them
• Treatment and Medication Options for Pilonidal Cyst
• Pilonidal Cyst and Sinus
• How long does it take to recover from pilonidal cyst surgery?

Pilonidal cysts are most common in men between puberty and age 40. The pain of an infected pilonidal cyst is often excruciating. It feels as if you were to press your tailbone up against the sharp corner of a table and hold it there. The ingrown hair often continues to grow under the skin, irritating the cyst and leading to an infection, which is known as a pilonidal abscess or boil.

Fascinating Facts You Probably Never Knew About Your Skin

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It’s important to arrange a ride before your procedure since you won’t be able to drive after receiving pain medication and general anesthesia. You’ll leave the hospital or surgical center the same day as your operation. Initial treatments include sitz baths, warm compresses, and antibiotics. After surgery, the surgical site will also need care, often with changing the dressings two or three times a week.

Research and Statistics: Who Has Pilonidal Cysts and How Prevalent Are These Cysts?

Pilonidal cysts can sometimes be cured with surgery and your skin might heal fully. However, even after surgery, a pilonidal cyst can remain as a chronic, returning condition. This is true especially if the condition has gotten worse or if pilonidal cysts run in your family. If you've had pilonidal cysts in the past, you might want to regularly shave the affected area or use hair removal products to reduce the risk of a new cyst. Pilonidal cysts can vary in size and may develop into painful abscesses or chronic infections if left untreated.

Back Acne (‘Bacne’): Why Pimples Pop Up and How to Prevent and Get Rid of Them

If you are a man, are years old, or have thick and coarse hair, you are at increased risk of a pilonidal cyst. Also, if you sit a great deal for work or are overweight, you have a greater risk of developing a cyst. Although a pilonidal cyst is not life-threatening itself, it can become more difficult to treat and turn into a chronic condition if you don’t quickly seek help. That’s why it’s important to get an exam at the first sign of any symptoms of a pilonidal cyst.

While pilonidal cysts can go away without surgery, most cases require minor surgery to remove a pilonidal cyst or to clear out the infection and treat a pilonidal cyst. It's usually an outpatient procedure, meaning you go home the same day. This can be done in your healthcare provider's office or emergency room using local anesthesia.

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Treatment and Medication Options for Pilonidal Cyst

Certainly, these patients should be evaluated by a surgeon, but they are usually not the first clinician to which a patient presents. Interprofessional communication is necessary as these patients can present to any clinician, primary care provider, or general practitioner. The diagnosis is clinical, so prompt recognition and diagnosis can lead to faster treatment and resolution. Pilonidal disease is a relatively common disease, and there is an extensive amount of published material. This includes various types of studies, including randomized control studies, cohort and case-control studies, case series, and expert opinions. Pilonidal disease is a broad topic, so narrowing the specific question can provide specific publications and research studies.

During a Limberg flap operation, a doctor will make a rhomboid-shaped incision over the sinus and remove all affected tissue from the area. They will then create an incision in the surrounding buttock area and pull a fold, or flap, of skin over the initial sinus site. Pilonidal cysts and sinuses are both parts of the broader term pilonidal disease. Over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol (acetaminophen) should help ease the discomfort. If not, your healthcare provider may prescribe pain medicine to take on a short-term basis. Most people can return to work in two to four weeks after surgery.

This would be done with a local anesthetic, meaning that the area around the cyst is numbed with an injection. The cyst can then be opened with an incision and drained of any fluid it contains. If your cyst has no symptoms and isn’t bothering you, nothing will likely need to be done. However, if your cyst becomes infected, your doctor will likely want to release it.

You may not have any noticeable symptoms at first other than a small, dimple-like depression on the surface of your skin. Reviews have shown that the Karydakis flap procedure results in lower rates of pilonidal disease recurrence and complication than standard excision methods. People are also most likely to develop pilonidal cysts between puberty and 40 years old.

Once the area is numb, the healthcare provider will make an incision into the abscess to drain the pus. Sitting for long periods, not keeping the area clean, and having obesity are also thought to contribute to developing a pilonidal cyst. Researchers don't know every cause of a pilonidal cyst, but often it happens when an ingrown hair causes a skin infection and cyst to form.

Friction on the ingrown hair from sitting or rubbing can irritate your skin and cause the cyst to form. When there is pain, pressure, or discomfort in the tailbone area, get it checked out by a healthcare provider. When there continues to be an infection in the area or when an abscess forms, surgery might be used to treat it. A bigger incision is made to open up the sinus and/or the abscess. When the pilonidal cyst is infected, surgery is used more often and may be preferable to home or less invasive treatments.

The individual and their healthcare provider will decide on the type of treatment necessary based on several factors. This activity provides a broad and comprehensive description of the pilonidal disease and its various treatments. Pilonidal disease is a dermatological soft tissue process that is relatively common and affects both the pediatric population and adults. This activity highlights the role of the interprofessional team in examining, diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with this condition.

But there are a few things you can do at home to ease pain and discomfort in the meantime. Pilonidal cysts are more common in men and people who sit for long periods of time, such as office workers are truck drivers. You’re also more likely to get one of these cysts if you have thick, stiff body hair. Most people can resume their regular activities within a month of surgery. You’ll likely have a follow-up appointment with your doctor about 6 weeks after your procedure. The follow-up appointments depend on whether the wound packing materials need to be changed or if sutures need to be removed.

In fact, it will likely only be considered if other treatments have not worked. Most of the time, they can be treated effectively and won’t come back. However, they can become chronic, so it’s important to get treatment right away and to follow up with your healthcare provider. These cysts should be diagnosed and treated by a healthcare professional, preferably one with experience in surgical treatments for this condition. A pilonidal cyst can be painful, embarrassing, and affect your quality of life. The condition needs treatment to avoid it from becoming infected and causing more serious disease.