Cyst Removal by a Surgically Trained GP
No Hidden Costs & Same day Sebaceous cyst removal in London for £250!
What is a Sebaceous Cyst?
Sebaceous cysts, also called Epidermoid cysts, are incredibly common. They are usually slow growing lumps that come from the skin. Because they are slow growing they aren’t usually painful so people often only become aware of them one day in the shower, or in photographs or if someone else points it out to them
They are usually caused by cells from the top layers of the skin becoming trapped deeper down. These cells produce keratin, a substance normally secreted onto the skin, but in the case of a cyst this material becomes trapped within the skin and collects beneath it surrounded by a sac. This forms a lump, sometimes a central dark pit can be seen on the outside which is called a punctum. These cysts can sometimes occur after an injury in an area, where they are called inclusion cysts
The natural history of most sebaceous cysts is to continue to grow. As the cyst grows, the skin overlying it doesn’t just get pushed up but becomes thinner until eventually the cyst can rupture, become infected and discharges its contents. Unfortunately, they can just refill and follow this cycle again. The material within is like toothpaste in consistency
Where cysts occur on the scalp, these are usually Pilar cysts which come from the root of hair follicles. These can run in families and patients can typically have more than one cyst. These can be treated in the exact same way as a sebaceous cyst
| NUMBER OF LESIONS | Price
Duration of Appointment |
|---|---|
| Per lesion | £250 50 minutes |
If you see our Doctor and decide against having the procedure, there will be a consultation charge of £69.
Occasionally, your Doctor may be worried that the excised Sebaceous cyst is something else. In these circumstances, he may ask your permission to send the specimen off for histological analysis – This costs an additional £200 per specimen.
How will my Cyst be removed?
A local anaesthetic will be injected around the lump to make removal pain free. You may eat and drink normally for this form of anaesthetic.
The cyst is usually removed with a small ellipse of overlying skin to address loose/stretched skin which would leave an unsightly scar, but also to remove the punctum (central pit) of the cyst also. The cyst including all its contents and its sac is removed underneath, aiming to leave none behind. The wound is then stitched to leave a fine line. The stitches may be dissolving underneath the skin or non-dissolving on the skin surface, in which case they will need to be removed following the surgery, either with our nurse or your local NHS GP Practice Nurse.
What is the recovery like?
A light dressing is applied that usually allows washing over the area, this would stay in place until your wound check appointment around a week later. If stitches need to be removed, they may be removed 1-2 weeks after the surgery depending on the site.
Your price includes the surgeon using stitches to close your wound. The cost of removing your stitches and reviewing your wound by our nurse 1-2 weeks later is £30. If however, the stitches do not need to be removed, then the nurse-led wound check is complimentary.
Histology
We would recommend that you allow your Doctor to send off all excised tissue samples to the lab for analysis. This is because, even though the lesion may look benign (that is, not cancerous), it is very important to check that it definitely is not cancerous. You will have this discussion before the procedure is undertaken.