cyst removal on forehead

[lamo101]

i recently had a cyst removed from my forehead. i had this cyst for 1 year before seeking medical advice/treatment due to lack of health insurance. it was dime sized, and when the nurse removed it, it was a firm perfectly round ball of skin. they used some sort of "punch" type instrument and stitched the incision. the cut is around 1cm. i had the stitches removed yesterday and the nurse put some kind of iodine strips over the incision site. she said to let the strips come off by themselves in 3-7 days. what should i do to reduce this last bit of inflamation and minimize the scar?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Motrin is a NSAID(anti inflammatory drug;Ibuprofen).You can take it further but please make sure to inform your dermatologist first.

I hope that helps. Take care and regards.

[lamo101]

Thank you so much for answering my question about 'cyst removal on forehead'. Since I do not have insurance, the only prescription given to me was the antibiotic Bactrim, which was filled for only $4. I am taking it as prescribed and only have 2 days left on the 10 days worth prescribed to me. The dermatologist did tell me to take otc Motrin and I have been doing so. The initial inflammation went down quickly but there is still some swelling in the area directly where the cyst was located before removal. This is discouraging for me because I thought the place would heal more quickly. Do I need to take more Motrin? I only take two 100mg pills every 6 hrs. The cyst removal happened on Thursday, August 13 2009. Do I need to be more patient or get back in to the doctors' office?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
You should consult your dermatologist and get prescribed for oral anti inflammatory medicines like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen. They will help in reducing the swelling. Stitches’ scars can be dealt with laser treatment after the lesion is completely healed.

I hope it helps.Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.