Pilonidal Cyst healing

Well I had a group of pilonidal cyst removed, a few years ago, and after 3 more surgeries (2 jp tubes and a scar thats 1 foot in length) it still is not healed. It healed up before after they closed it in surgery, and it reopened 5 months after surgery...  

What should i do to heal it once and for all? Its ruined my life, had to drop out of highschool because of it, and i cant even leave my house for 30 minutes before it starts hurting like crazy. Its hard for me to even sleep at night knowing that if this doesnt get healed soon, i just dont know what im gonna do in the future. I just wanna get back on track and take my GED.

Please, someone help...

I can give more information if needed.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like chronic pilonidal cyst. In your case, either it was more than one pilonidal sinus leading to chronic pilonidal disease or it was due to reinfection in neighbouring hair follicles or chronic infection from entry of hair or debris into a postoperative wound leading to complex or recurrent pilonidal disease.

Surgical management of chronic and recurrent disease is controversial. Numerous studies have been put forward advocating one treatment over another but none has been proved better than the others. Presently, the various methods used are incision and drainage, excision and healing by secondary intention, excision and primary closure and excision with reconstructive flap techniques. Please discuss these options with your doctor.

Hygiene, proper dressings after surgery and depilation is the only ways to prevent recurrent pilonidal sinus. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[DoubleT61]

I have used nair on it before, because im scared to use a shaver, or have a parent shave it.  Will the chemicals in the nair effect it in any way? I dont use it on the wound, just around it and im very careful with it.

[chesoltan]

I have the same problem but in my situation it is pain less. i only realized through the presence of blood as i wiped. maybe because it is new. there is blood only when the weather is hot or a sweat. what is the solution can i treat it without a surgery . plus iam a hairy man should i shave for treatment but should i use a shaving machine or chemical creams?