Sebaceous cyst - wikipedia Sebaceous cyst Sebaceous cyst Pronunciation / sɪˈbeɪʃəs sɪst / Specialty Dermatology, general surgery A sebaceous cyst is a term commonly used to refer to either : Epidermoid cysts ( also termed epidermal cysts, infundibular cyst ), or Pilar cysts ( also termed trichelemmal cysts, isthmus - catagen cysts ). Both of the above types of cyst contain keratin, not sebum, and neither originates from sebaceous glands. Epidermoid cysts originate in the epidermis and pilar cysts originate from hair follicles. Therefore, technically speaking they are not sebaceous cysts. `` True '' sebaceous cysts, cysts which originate from sebaceous glands and which contain sebum, are relatively rare and are known as steatocystoma simplex or, if multiple, as steatocystoma multiplex. Medical professionals have suggested that the term sebaceous cyst be avoided since it can be misleading. In practice, however, the term is still often used for epidermoid and pilar cysts. Contents 1 Signs and symptoms 2 Causes 3 Types 3.1 Epidermoid cyst 3.2 Pilar cyst 4 Treatment 4.1 Surgical 5 References 6 External links Signs and symptoms This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2011 ) Close - up of an infected sebaceous cyst located behind the ear lobe. The scalp, ears, back, face, and upper arm, are common sites of 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. They are generally mobile masses that can consist of : Fibrous tissues and fluids, A fatty ( keratinous ) substance that resembles cottage cheese, in which case the cyst may be called `` keratin cyst ''. This material has a characteristic `` cheesy '' or foot odor smell, A somewhat viscous, serosanguineous fluid ( containing purulent and bloody material ). The nature of the contents of a sebaceous cyst, and of its surrounding capsule, differs depending on whether the cyst has ever been infected. With 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, high levels of testosterone and the use of androgenic anabolic steroids will cause such cysts. A case has been reported of a sebaceous cyst being caused by the human botfly. Hereditary causes of sebaceous cysts include Gardner 's syndrome and basal cell nevus syndrome. Types Epidermoid cyst Main article : Epidermoid cyst Pilar cyst Main article : Pilar cyst About 90 % of pilar cysts occur on the scalp, with the remaining sometimes occurring on the face, trunk and extremities. Pilar cysts are significantly more common in females, and a tendency to develop these cysts is often inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. In most cases, multiple pilar cysts appear at once. Treatment This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2007 ) 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 Surgical excision of a sebaceous cyst is a simple procedure to completely remove the sac and its contents. A sebaceous cyst that has been surgically removed. There are three general approaches used : traditional wide excision, minimal excision, and punch biopsy excision. The typical outpatient surgical procedure for cyst removal is to numb the area around the cyst with a local anaesthetic, then to use a scalpel to open the lesion with either a single cut down the center of the swelling, or an oval cut on both sides of the centerpoint. If the cyst is small, it may be lanced instead. The person performing the surgery will squeeze out the keratin surrounding the cyst, then use blunt - headed scissors or another instrument to hold the incision wide open while using fingers or forceps to try to remove the cyst intact. If the cyst can be removed in one piece, the `` cure rate '' is 100 %. If, however, it is fragmented and can not be entirely recovered, the operator may use curettage ( scraping ) to remove the remaining exposed fragments, then burn them with an electro - cauterization tool, in an effort to destroy them in place. In such cases the cyst may recur. In either case, the incision is then disinfected and, if necessary, the skin is stitched back together over it. A scar will most likely result. An infected cyst may require oral antibiotics or other treatment before or after excision. If pus has already formed then incision and drainage should be done along with avulsion of the cyst wall with proper antibiotics coverage. An approach involving incision, rather than excision, has also been proposed. References Jump up ^ `` Epidermoid and pilar cysts ( previously known as sebaceous cysts ) ''. British Association of Dermatologists. Retrieved April 2, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Epidermoid and Pilar Cysts ( Sebaceous Cysts ) - Patient UK ''. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 04. Jump up ^ Neville BW, Damm DD, Allen CA, Bouquot JE ( 2002 ). Oral & maxillofacial pathology ( 2nd ed. ). Philadelphia : W.B. Saunders. ISBN 0721690033. Jump up ^ MedlinePlus Encyclopedia Sebaceous cyst Jump up ^ Scott, MJ ; Scott, AM ( 1992 ). `` Effects of anabolic - androgenic steroids on the pilosebaceous unit ''. Cutis. 50 ( 2 ) : 113 -- 116. PMID 1387354. Retrieved 30 November 2014. Jump up ^ Zuber TJ ( 2002 ). `` Minimal excision technique for epidermoid ( sebaceous ) cysts ''. Am Fam Physician. 65 ( 7 ) : 1409 -- 12, 1417 -- 8, 1420. PMID 11996426. Jump up ^ Harbin LJ, Khan M, Thompson EM, Goldin RD ( 2002 ). `` A sebaceous cyst with a difference : Dermatobia hominis ''. J. Clin. Pathol. 55 ( 10 ) : 798 -- 9. doi : 10.1136 / jcp. 55.10. 798. PMC 1769786. PMID 12354816. ^ Jump up to : Barnes L, ed. ( 2008 ). Surgical pathology of the head and neck ( 3rd ed. ). New York : Informa Healthcare. ISBN 978 - 0849390234. Jump up ^ Klin B, Ashkenazi H ( 1990 ). `` Sebaceous cyst excision with minimal surgery ''. American Family Physician. 41 ( 6 ) : 1746 -- 8. PMID 2349906. Jump up ^ Moore RB, Fagan EB, Hulkower S, Skolnik DC, O'Sullivan G ( 2007 ). `` Clinical inquiries. What 's the best treatment for sebaceous cysts ? ''. The Journal of family practice. 56 ( 4 ) : 315 -- 6. PMID 17403333. Jump up ^ Nakamura M ( 2001 ). `` Treating a sebaceous cyst : an incisional technique ''. Aesthetic plastic surgery. 25 ( 1 ) : 52 -- 6. doi : 10.1007 / s002660010095. PMID 11322399. External links Classification ICD - 10 : Epidermoid cyst L72. 0, Pilar cyst L72. 1 ICD - 9 - CM : 706.2 MeSH : D004814 DiseasesDB : 29388 External resources MedlinePlus : 000842 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sebaceous cysts. Overview at University of Maryland Medical Center Epidermal Inclusion Cyst at eMedicine Disorders of skin appendages ( L60 -- L75, 703 -- 706 ) Nail thickness : Onychogryphosis Onychauxis color : Beau 's lines Yellow nail syndrome Leukonychia Azure lunula shape : Koilonychia Nail clubbing behavior : Onychotillomania Onychophagia other : Ingrown nail Anonychia ungrouped : Paronychia Acute Chronic Chevron nail Congenital onychodysplasia of the index fingers Green nails Half and half nails Hangnail Hapalonychia Hook nail Ingrown nail Lichen planus of the nails Longitudinal erythronychia Malalignment of the nail plate Median nail dystrophy Mees ' lines Melanonychia Muehrcke 's lines Nail -- patella syndrome Onychoatrophy Onycholysis Onychomadesis Onychomatricoma Onychomycosis Onychophosis Onychoptosis defluvium Onychorrhexis Onychoschizia Platonychia Pincer nails Plummer 's nail Psoriatic nails Pterygium inversum unguis Pterygium unguis Purpura of the nail bed Racquet nail Red lunulae Shell nail syndrome Splinter hemorrhage Spotted lunulae Staining of the nail plate Stippled nails Subungual hematoma Terry 's nails Twenty - nail dystrophy Hair Hair loss / Baldness noncicatricial alopecia : Alopecia areata totalis universalis Ophiasis Androgenic alopecia ( male - pattern baldness ) Hypotrichosis Telogen effluvium Traction alopecia Lichen planopilaris Trichorrhexis nodosa Alopecia neoplastica Anagen effluvium Alopecia mucinosa cicatricial alopecia : Pseudopelade of Brocq Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia Pressure alopecia Traumatic alopecia Tumor alopecia Hot comb alopecia Perifolliculitis capitis abscedens et suffodiens Graham - Little syndrome Folliculitis decalvans ungrouped : Triangular alopecia Frontal fibrosing alopecia Marie Unna hereditary hypotrichosis Hypertrichosis Hirsutism Acquired localised generalised patterned Congenital generalised localised X-linked Prepubertal Acneiform eruption Acne Acne vulgaris Acne conglobata Acne miliaris necrotica Tropical acne Infantile acne / Neonatal acne Excoriated acne Acne fulminans Acne medicamentosa ( e.g., steroid acne ) Halogen acne Iododerma Bromoderma Chloracne Oil acne Tar acne Acne cosmetica Occupational acne Acne aestivalis Acne keloidalis nuchae Acne mechanica Acne with facial edema Pomade acne Acne necrotica Blackhead Lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei Rosacea Perioral dermatitis Granulomatous perioral dermatitis Phymatous rosacea Rhinophyma Blepharophyma Gnathophyma Metophyma Otophyma Papulopustular rosacea Lupoid rosacea Erythrotelangiectatic rosacea Glandular rosacea Gram - negative rosacea Steroid rosacea Ocular rosacea Persistent edema of rosacea Rosacea conglobata variants Periorificial dermatitis Pyoderma faciale Ungrouped Granulomatous facial dermatitis Idiopathic facial aseptic granuloma Periorbital dermatitis SAPHO syndrome Follicular cysts `` Sebaceous cyst '' Epidermoid cyst Trichilemmal cyst Steatocystoma simplex multiplex Milia Inflammation Folliculitis Folliculitis nares perforans Tufted folliculitis Pseudofolliculitis barbae Hidradenitis Hidradenitis suppurativa Recurrent palmoplantar hidradenitis Neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis Ungrouped Acrokeratosis paraneoplastica of Bazex Acroosteolysis Bubble hair deformity Disseminate and recurrent infundibulofolliculitis Erosive pustular dermatitis of the scalp Erythromelanosis follicularis faciei et colli Hair casts Hair follicle nevus Intermittent hair -- follicle dystrophy Keratosis pilaris atropicans Kinking hair Koenen 's tumor Lichen planopilaris Lichen spinulosus Loose anagen syndrome Menkes kinky hair syndrome Monilethrix Parakeratosis pustulosa Pili ( Pili annulati Pili bifurcati Pili multigemini Pili pseudoannulati Pili torti ) Pityriasis amiantacea Plica neuropathica Poliosis Rubinstein -- Taybi syndrome Setleis syndrome Traumatic anserine folliculosis Trichomegaly Trichomycosis axillaris Trichorrhexis ( Trichorrhexis invaginata Trichorrhexis nodosa ) Trichostasis spinulosa Uncombable hair syndrome Wooly hair Wooly hair nevus Sweat glands Eccrine Miliaria Colloid milium Miliaria crystalline Miliaria profunda Miliaria pustulosa Miliaria rubra Occlusion miliaria Postmiliarial hypohidrosis Granulosis rubra nasi Ross ' syndrome Anhidrosis Hyperhidrosis Generalized Gustatory Palmoplantar Apocrine Body odor Chromhidrosis Fox -- Fordyce disease Sebaceous Sebaceous hyperplasia Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sebaceous_cyst&oldid=862869079 '' Categories : Epidermal nevi, neoplasms, cysts Hidden categories : Infobox medical condition ( new ) Articles needing additional references from October 2011 All articles needing additional references Articles needing additional references from September 2007 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2007 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Deutsch Français Italiano Қазақша Кыргызча Nederlands Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Polski Português Română Русский Svenska Tagalog తెలుగు Тоҷикӣ Українська 中文 10 more Edit links This page was last edited on 7 October 2018, at 07 : 04 ( UTC ). 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Question: what is the stuff in a sebaceous cyst
Answer: keratin