Cysts are sacs that form from blocked sweat glands in the skin and contain a greasy substance. These are usually not hazardous, but they can enlarge and cause pain, swelling, and infection. Lipomas on the other hand are fatty lumps that typically grow between the skin and muscle, but can be deeper. Whether it’s a cyst or a lipoma, we advise avoiding squeezing or touching them as you can make them worse by causing more inflammation. Definitely do not pierce them with a needle to try and drain them, as they will just come back and make future surgery more difficut. Instead, it is better to get in touch with our plastic surgeons for cyst or lipoma removal. Precision surgery that will leave your skin’s surface smooth again. You need expert surgery to remove these sacs whole and complete so they do not come back, and our guarantee is that we are so confident in being able to do this that if it does come back we will do it again for free (we’ve never had to!).
Cysts come in several forms. They have different names like epidermal cysts, dermoid cysts, inclusion cysts or sebaceous cysts. Cyst treatment depends on the type and where it is, as they can occur on the scalp, face, arms, back or just about anywhere. Should the cyst not be creating any problems, treatment is not required but some people would like them removed as they can be unsightly. Cysts can be treated with draining or removal. The substance in the cyst is usually thick and has a cottage cheese consistency, so drainage is ineffective and causes them to come back as the sac is still intact. Under surgical removal, the entire cyst—the small hair root that it originates from and the entire sac—is removed intact so that it doesn’t compromise the area and cause infection or result in a recurrence (The cyst coming back). Send us a photograph of the cyst for a quote now, removal starts from £600 which covers most cysts apart from the really big ones.
Lipomas rarely require treatment. It is usually a cosmetic concern rather than a health one. However, if the patient or healthcare practitioner believes it should be removed from your body, it is frequently surgically removed. This surgery involves making a small incision to entirely remove the fatty tumour. It is best to remove lipomas when they are small so that they do not cause problems with blood vessels, joints, or nerves. Early removal is critical to preventing problems. If you have a very large lipoma this can be painful and might not be removalble under local anaesthetic. Send us a photograph for a quote or book in for a consultation. It is common to have lipoma’s investigated prior to treatment, you may go to your GP and they might order an Ultrasound scan to get further information about the lump as there can be many reasons to have a lump. This also helps us be sure the lump is a lipoma and where it sits (between skin or under the muscle) as treatment can be different in both cases. Lipomas are more complex, bigger and deeper and can involved more surgery and treatment starts from £800 for most lipomas apart from the big ones.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, get in touch today.
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