Epidermal Inclusion Cysts (sebaceous Cysts)

If the cyst is inflamed and fluctuant, surgically drain it.  Larger amounts of local anaesthetic than expected are usually required to deaden the skin before incision and drainage.

After irrigation and removal of all visible cyst wall, pack it with iodoform gauze and let it granulate.  Premature closure of the surgical wound is counterproductive...let it drain.  Antibiotics are optional because this is not initially an infectious process.  A few weeks later, evaluate the site to see if any cyst remains and consider the feasibility of elliptical excision.

Written and revised by CAPT Dennis A. Vidmar, MC, USN, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, and Department of Dermatology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD (1999).

Additional images provided by CAPT Vidmar in June, 2000, subsequent to the initial publication of this manual.


Epidermal Inclusion Cyst
 

Preface  ·  Administrative Section  ·  Clinical Section

The General Medical Officer Manual , NAVMEDPUB 5134, January 1, 2000
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, 2300 E Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20372-5300

This web version of The General Medical Officer Manual, NAVMEDPUB 5134 is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division.  It contains original contents from the official US Navy version, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense. All material in this version is unclassified. This formatting © 2006 Medical Education Division, Brookside Associates, Ltd. All rights reserved.

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