Clinical Tips
Provided by Madeline D. Wiley, MSN, FNP

Easy Removal of a Sebaceous Cyst:

Cleanse and anesthetize the area as usual. Then using a 4mm biopsy punch, drill an opening into the center of the cyst. Remove the punch instrument with the biopsied skin. The contents of the cyst may ooze out or can be removed with forceps/hemostats or flush the cavity. Then using curved hemostats clean out the cyst casing. Sometimes the casing may come out in two large pieces. Other times it may break up even more. Be sure to explore the wound completely so that pieces of the cyst casing are not left inside. Close the wound using a vertical mattress suture for the best results. Remove suture 7-10 days later depending on the site of the sebaceous cyst that was biopsied.

Use of this technique almost always ends with a good outcome. Do not use this technique on an infected sebaceous cyst. If the cyst is larger, up to an 8mm size punch can be used with this technique. Wound closure would then require 2-3 vertical mattress sutures.




Last updated:  October 5, 1998


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