Sebaceous cyst on penile shaft

I have had a large cyst on the shaft of my penis for nearly a year now. It has not been painful until now just quite itchy. It is formed of a rather hard puss-like liquid on the inside although i have not attempted popping it. I have read numerous articles online and they all seem to say that it is most likely a sebaceous cyst. I would rather not have it removed by surgery so i was wondering if there was a way it could be removed by myself? Thanks!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like infected hair follicle or a sebaceous cyst. A sebaceous cyst is a closed sac occurring just under the skin which contains a "pasty" or "cheesy" looking substance called keratin. Blocked sebaceous glands, swollen hair follicles and excessive testosterone production will cause such cysts.

Apply warm compresses and topical antibiotics like Mupirocin. Generally no treatment is required but they become painful then it means they are infected, Then surgical excision by traditional wide excision, minimal excision, and punch biopsy excision may be required.

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 doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.