Close-up of an infected sebaceous cyst that has abscessed, located behind the ear lobe.

A small sebaceous cyst, located in the front of the ear lobe.

A sebaceous cyst (a form of trichilemmal cyst; also called: keratin cyst, pilar cyst or wen; more correctly called: epidermal cyst or epidermoid cyst (see ICD-10 L72.0)) is a closed sac or cyst below the surface of the skin that has a lining that resembles the uppermost part (infundibulum) of a hair follicle and fills with a fatty white, semi-solid material called sebum. Sebum is produced by sebaceous glands of the epidermis. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a coding of diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sebaceous_cyst. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sebaceous_cyst. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sebaceous_Cyst_on_ear. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Sebaceous_Cyst_on_ear. ... An epidermoid cyst is a benign cyst, developed out of ectodermal tissue. ... A cyst is a closed sac having a distinct membrane and developing abnormally in a cavity or structure of the body. ... The sebaceous glands are glands found in the skin of mammals. ... The sebaceous glands are glands found in the skin of mammals. ...

The scalp, ears, back, face, and upper arms, are common sites for sebaceous cysts, though they may occur anywhere on the body except the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. In males a common place for them to develop is the scrotum and chest .They are more common in hairier areas, where in cases of long duration they could result in hair loss on the skin surface immediately above the cyst. They are smooth to the touch, vary in size, and are generally round in shape. The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the face anteriorly and the neck to the sides and posteriorly. ... A pierced human ear. ... Look up Back in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The face is the front part of the head, in humans from the forehead to chin including the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, teeth, skin, and chin. ... The hands (med. ... Look up Sole in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In some male mammals, the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. ... Male Chest The chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals. ... Baldness (formally alopecia) is the state of lacking hair where it usually would grow, especially on the head. ...

They are generally mobile masses that can consist of fibrous tissues and fluids, to a fatty, (keratinous), substance that resembles cottage cheese, or a somewhat viscous, serosanguinous fluid, (containing purulent and bloody material). The nature of the contents of a sebaceous cyst, and of its surrounding capsule, will be determined by whether the cyst has ever been infected. At surgery a cyst can usually be excised in its entirety; poor surgical technique or previous infection leading to scarring and tethering of the cyst to the surrounding tissue may lead to rupture during excision and removal. A completely removed cyst will not recur, though if the patient has a predisposition to cyst formation further cysts may develop in the same general area.

Causes

Blocked sebaceous glands, swollen hair follicles, excessive testosterone production, will cause such cysts.[1] Schematic view of a hair follicle with sebaceous gland. ... A hair follicle is part of the skin that grows hair by packing old cells together. ...

Treatment

Sebaceous cysts generally do not require medical treatment. However, if they continue to grow, they may become unsightly, painful, infected, or all of the above. Surgical excision of a sebaceous cyst is a simple procedure to completely remove the sac and its contents. An infected cyst may require oral antibiotics or other treatment before excision. Another common and effective method of treatment involves placement of a heat-pad directly on the cyst for about fifteen minutes, twice daily, for about 10 days (depending on size and location of the cyst).^{[citation needed]} This method works by bringing the temperature of the wax-like material inside of the cyst to a temperature at which it melts and can be reabsorbed and processed by the body as a small amount of oily fluid. This method is preferred over surgery both for reasons of associated costs and risks of surgery. This methodology is not applicable for non-sebaceous cysts, however, as other varieties of cysts do not contain the same hardened sebum deposits, and therefore do not melt to be reabsorbed by the body. A cardiothoracic surgeon performs a mitral valve replacement at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. ... Staphylococcus aureus - Antibiotics test plate. ...

External links

• Minimal Excision Technique for Epidermoid (Sebaceous) Cysts
• NIH/Medline
• University of Maryland
• eMedicine (article "Epidermal Inclusion Cyst")