Found Problem: Sebaceous Cyst in Labia Minora

[HH3]

I've posted recently about a bothersome problem that I've had in the gyno area, mainly related to soreness and occasional itching. Closer inspection by me revealed some sort of little bump recently, but I [evidently] hadn't gotten to the right doc.

Key points to note:

Prescribed Temovate/thought it worked kind of well at first but then changed mind; started having a lot of pain yesterday.

Looked at area with mirror and discovered it to be ravaged looking.  More inspection revealed a bump inside.

Got in to see doc today; said it's a sebaceous cyst and is deep and wanted me to first take soaks in tub, etc. to try to get it to come to a head.  Will lance in a week if trouble persists.

Anyone have much experience with these?

Temovate discontinued (wonder why? ! LOL)

Comments welcome,

Hoosier

[Awsnap]

I have an egg sized abscess/boil on my labia majora. It was so painful I couldn't take it anymore. I'm 8 months pregnant and can't see it myself so I had my fiancee prick ot when he noticed it had a head and the skin had softened. He got a lot of brow and yellow pus, then it just bled. Now it's still hard and kind of big,not as big though. I have an appointment with my OB tomorrow so I'm going to have her check it out and hopefully get prescribed antibiotics.

[specialmom]

oh no no no.  You don't lance your own vagina boil!  That is a way to get infection!  That sounds super painful too.  Definitely follow up with your doctor!!  Let us know what they say/do and sorry---  whew, makes me hurt just thinking about it!

[naplea]

i had developed one two days ago on my labia majora, it was the size of a pea and really painful.was feeling to sleep sit or walk. after reading your posts i applied a hot complex twice today, when i did it the second time the head appeared i pricked it an cleared it out.thanks for the tips i would still be in pain as of now.all the pain is gone

[RZBunny]

I'm not sure how to go about this. I think I've had cysts on my vaginal area before but couldn't really find them, the reason is because I've had it do the same thing as it is now where it bleeds and stings when I wipe it usually happens when I'm on my period. Well I just got off my period and it usually goes away when my period does but I went to the bathroom this morning and when I peed it STUNG which freaked me out. I got a mirror and found the culprit, what looks like a popped cyst and another one next to it unpopped. My question is is it supposed to sting when I pee? Is that very bad, should I do something about it?

[DIYGIRL]

I too frequently get these...usually starting with itching or discomfort and then I find a small , sore bump. I've done the bath routine, etc...I would like to mention that because I was doing some fertility therapy, I have a lot of 14 gage needles at home. I'm not going to recommend you do the same however, after a good soak...I've actually had success popping/draining these cysts by carefully pricking them with a needle. They are very sharp so they dint hurt as much as if you were to use another kind. They are also sterile. Be sure to swab the area gently with a disinfectant (peroxide won't sting) and don't reuse the needle. Throw it out and start with a fresh one. After the area is clean I dab on a topical cream like polysporin or hydrocortisone. They usually take a week to go away. I've never had one with a scab on it though.vyou might need some antibiotics oral or topical from the Doc.

[prettycoolchick]

Ok I am freaking out all of a sudden. FYI I have Hidradenitis suppurativa  so I break out in cyst in warm places like labia majora, armpits, groin, and under my breasts. So about 8 months a go my doctor put me on Difulcan when she notice yeast in my face. The next morning after taking the pill I notice a slight inch . then a bump appeared on my minora and one came right beside it. The large one bust but the small bump did not go away. I ignored it for this long but I read about HPV. The bump is still here. I can't see the bump good but I can feel it. I did go to the doctor and He looked and felt around, he said its a sebaceous cyst but I'm still not sure because he seemed unconcerned. Should I be worried because its not going away.

[TML2010]

I have one that has been there for three years. I had gone to the ER for it when It first appeared and a doctor punctured it so it would drain. I soaked after that to get it to drain more it didn't help. It is smaller than it was when I first got it but it still makes me self conscious. I can see where it was punctured but it is still hard and I am at my wits end. Even after having my twins three years ago. I thought it would go away. Then I just decided to live with it because I can not afford a doctor. (Never can) I could never do anything myself except soak when I was pregnant and now. It will not come to a head or anything. I Cry my eyes out about having it and after my Monthly, it itches around that area. My husband knew about it and knows it is a sebacious cyst and today I told him something needs done with it still being there.  Hopefully something can be done.

[chicakms]

I went in for my yearly pap and perfect timing I have a little lump on my labia. I've had it before in the same spot and it eventually went away with time. The doctor looked at it and said it's an epidermal cyst. She said it will open on it's own when it's ready or if I wanted her to she could freeze it and cut it open she was just worried about infection if she cut it open felt it was better for it to drain on it's own when it was ready. It really doesn't hurt much except when I bump it when I wipe when I go to the bathroom otherwise I would not have known I had one. She also gave me a prescription for Lidocaine cream if it does get painful it will numb it.

[roses321]

Have it looked at by a surgeon. I have seen these things evolve into infections that spread and make surgical excision needed... as well as sepsis. Take care of it now!!

[M2el]

I had my first boil lanced by a doctor yesterday. It had been a week and warm compress es and ichthammol was not bringing it to a head. Along with lancing, he prescribed an antibiotic and said to soak in a hot bath twice a day for 20 min. I went to an urgent (minor) care office and the procedure was free. The antibiotic was also free at Publix grocery store!

[WildernessSAR]

P.S. Soaking in a hot bath is also NOT good.  Use warm/hot compresses of hot water/washcloth placed on the area (don't burn yourself.)  If you are in a hot bath, and your abcess ruptures, the infection is spread to other parts of your body.

[WildernessSAR]

It sounds as though some of you have abcesses...not sebaceous cysts.  An abcess starts out small, red, and hard.  It may have little to no discomfort, but after a while, it may get larger, harder, and more painful.  When you squeeze and mess around with it, you're spreading staph bacteria around, and you're only inflaming it more.

DON'T DO THAT.

As soon as you see an abcess, either apply witch hazel, or try a sulfur-based drawing salve.  KEEP THE AREA CLEAN.  No matter how clean you are, staph bacteria resides on your skin.  Try keeping it as clean as possible with soap and water, and dry thoroughly.  If you intend on using witch hazel or drawing salve, put some on a sterile pad (first aid pad) and put it on the area.  By doing this, you're not only putting the ointment on, but you're keeping the area clean.

Change it when you use the restroom, but be sure to follow the instructions on the drawing salve.  Most say 1-2 times per day.  The drawing salve actually breaks down the skin over the abcess until it eventually ruptures on its own.

Yes, it's gross.  Light yellow/beige looking pus may ooze out with a combination of blood as well.  DO NOT TOUCH IT WITH YOUR HAND.  Use a clean sterile pad to blot it, and place the pad over top of it to keep any outside bacteria from entering and spreading through your system.

Wash your hands with antibacterial soap, thoroughly, before and after each "bandage" change.  Keep the area clean.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  DO NOT try to squeeze it or get any more pus out of it - leave it alone.

If you don't leave it alone, you may find yourself heading to the doctor's to have HIM lance it, and you don't want that.  Lidocaine is injected around the area, and then the abcess is lanced.  You think that's bad?  The doctor then goes in with special forceps and breaks apart the bacterial abcess - this is painful as the lidocaine cannot numb this area.  The doctor will probably pack it with sterile water dressing and cover it.  He will prescribe you with antibiotics, and you would have to come back three days later for a dressing change.  SO DO NOT POP IT.  DO NOT SQUEEZE IT.  LET IT DRAIN ON ITS OWN by following the directions above.

I am not a medical doctor, but I do have medical training.  

[lils723]

I had that same problem last year...I would feel a bump every 3 weeks, and it was painful when it would surface before it 'popped'.  It happened at least 3 or 4 times and I realized the problem was not going away so I saw a doctor who recommended I get it surgically removed.  It worked but then it got infected which turned into another surgery to drain it...it was painful but I haven't had a problem since.  The recovery only took about a month before it healed completely so I would definetely recommend seeing a doctor if the problem persists. Hope this helps :)

[emily201]

Ok so I had these like lumps aroud my genital area(im a girl btw) but under my skin and i didnt know what they were so after doing some research i came to the conclusion that they were sabaceous cysts. I figured that out a long time ago like 2 years ago. So  didnt do anyting about them cuz they didnt cause me any discomfort and they would go away on there own and then come back and then go away ect...but then somehow (its a long story..i was playing soccer when it happened) i managed to accidentally i think pop one of them. It hurt momentarily  when i first did it ,but then stopped hurting so it took me a while to even notice it was popped. But then whilst I was going to the bathroom i notcied that i had popped it because where the cyst was I had kinda like and open sore almost and it was kinda bleeding with some pus,,it looked almost lieka  blood blister...So i thought it would go away on its own like heal up but its been about 3 months now and hasnt goten anybetter, i think its because when it begins healing or scabbing over i somehow re-open it. I would usually just deal with it but it has been hurting lately so I really want it to go away but it doesnt seems like its gettign any better. Plus everytime i re-open it by mistake, not only does it bleed but more pus comes out..so im guessing that means its still not done drainng. Does anyone know when it will heal or how to heal it quicker?? And if its not done draining, how can I tell when it is??

[HomeMomto3]

I have found that using witch hazel cleansing cloths and placing them there ( and replacing each time I use the bathroom) almost disolves the cyst

[Alexandra4380]

I have been getting those disgusting cysts since I was 13. Over the years I learned different ways to treat them because I dont plan on paying a doctor to pop them for me. I tried salt water but that was way too harsh and even though it worked it made the area raw until it healed. Lately I found a lovely solution called witch hazel it is an astringant that dries up the cysts without causing too much discomfort. You can also use it on other parts of the body as well.

[liilyyxo]

A few days ago, I noticed a small bump on my labia minora that was a little bit sore. By the next morning, the bump just about trippled in size and the whole left lip felt almost solid and was very swollen. I went through that day with a lot of discomfort, but I read on one of these websites that taking a hot bath would probably make it pop on it's own. I took one bath and it didn't do anything. Then I took a bath last night, and when I got out, I noticed that the bump was letting out a bit of blood. I tried to let it drain but when I squeezed it, it hurt too much. It's drained out quite a bit of the puss and blood since but it's stinging a lot and I know there's still more puss in there. I'm just wondering how long it usually takes to drain all of the puss and blood. It seems that everyone else experiencing these cysts usually have them longer than a few days but I don't know if there's something I can do to make it less painful. Pleaseeee help. I've been reading a lot of forums about these but none are saying how to finish draining the puss.

[grnbeen]

I just 'popped' one of these cysts this morning.  Last night I was applying hot compresses to it.  This morning it came to a head.  I have had these off and on for years.  Puss and a little blood is what comes out of them.  They are quite painful to pop, but I find heal faster after that.

[eeyore61]

I used to have this problem about 12 years ago.  I always thought it was related to my weight (275 lbs.)  It would become so enlarged I could barely sit at my desk for 8 hours.  After having a gastric bypass, I didn't have one for about 10 years, up until about 3 months ago.  Now I'm working on my 3rd one in 4 months.  I have no idea what has caused them again, I haven't changed any habits.  They usually burst easily with hot baths but this last one is really hanging on and painful.  I've always been too embarrassed to see the dr. about them.  

[ennaiyce]

Hey! I'm a Filipino girl and i'm very bothered about the small lump that appeared in my labia minora. It just appeared when i have my menstruation visit.

[HH3]

Thanks for your response.

I hope this doc knows what in the world he's dealing with.  He called it a sebaceous cyst, and he said he'd lance it next week if it's still the same size, bothersome, yadda yadda.

HOWEVER!  I do realize the risk of infection spreading by declaring war on it now, but what difference would it make if the cyst is still getting ready for a showdown next week (same status)?

I've heard about cryo surgery but don't remember what's all involved.

I'd like to ask you this also:  If the cyst is lanced and I still have trouble, can they just be actually excised?  Is the cryo surgery an excision process?

It's costing too much $$ to go to the city frequently.  The cost of putting fuel in my van is more than my co pay!

I think this guy is knowledgeable, but I'm worried that he's 'too' conservative or something.  Then again, maybe he's just following a certain protocol/going through the motions and then will get more aggressive about the approach to actually "take down" this silly cyst or whatever it is.

I was worried that it might be cancer.  Another thing that bothers me is that why, in a week's time, would it go away when it's obviously been there for so long?  Unless, of course, he thinks that the sheer act of soaking in warm water wil draw it to a head.  BTW, it's not anywhere near coming to a head.  I think we're going to have to call in the big dogs for this one!  hee hee

I'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks again for your response.

Hoosier

[kklee]

typical removal of a Sebaceous Cyst involves cryo-surgery... done in the doctors' office.

NOW, I can't imagine that this approach would be taken with this particular location... that sounds much too sensitive an area.  Sometimes these cysts can become inflamed just like any other pore.  That is why he told you to apply warm compresses.  

I've never heard of a Seb Cyst "coming to a head"  that sounds more like a boil, which would need "lancing".  If it is a boil, use boiling salt-water on the compress.  When the compress is tolerable apply it to the boil.  (don't burn yourself trying this!!)  It'll come to a head after about 3 days of doing this 3-4 times a day.  It may not even need lancing, as most often they burst on their own.  Care for the wound diligently if this happens.

It may be both though, a boil behind a cyst.  Get yerself some mirrors and watch it closely.

Good Luck