daughter has cyst on face

I noticed a small cyst under the skin on my daughter's face 2 days ago and never noticed it before...she is 6.  It is towards the bottom of her cheek back towards the ear, probably could be considered face or neck area.  It has a tint of purple color on the skin.  The skin is not raised, the cyst is underneath. Nothing comes out of it.  In my mind it doesn't sound right for a 6 year old to get a cyst on her face.  I took her to a pediatrician today and he said it is a [sebacious?] cyst and prescribed an antibiotic.  Does this sound like anything to be concerned about or to get a second opinion on?  Thanks for any help!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The painless lump that your daughter is having seems like 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.They may occur anywhere on body but scalp, ears, back, face, and upper arm, are common sites for sebaceous cysts. Blocked sebaceous glands, swollen hair follicles and excessive testosterone production will cause such cysts.

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.