Pilonidal Sinus Treatment

A pilonidal cyst usually comprises hair, dirt, and debris. It may lead to strong pain and can often become infected. If it gets infected, it may ooze pus and blood, and there is a bad odor.

What Leads to a Pilonidal Sinus Disease?

Activities causing friction, like sitting result in hair growth in the area, burrow back under the skin. The body considers this hair foreign and prepares an immune response against it. This immune response forms the cyst around your hair. This needs the right Pilonidal Sinus Treatment at the right time.

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How to Identify a Pilonidal Sinus and Recognize Signs of Infection

You can not notice any symptoms at first other than a small, dimple-like depression on the surface of your skin. However, if the depression catches an infection, it will quickly turn into a cyst (a closed sac filled with fluid) or an abscess (a swollen and inflamed tissue where pus collects).

The Signs of an Infection Include:

  • pain as you sit or stand
  • swelling of the cyst
  • reddened, sore skin around the area
  • pus or blood draining from the abscess, causing a foul odor
  • hair protruding from the lesion
  • Building up of more than one sinus tract, or holes in the skin

How are Pilonidal Sinuses Treated?

Conservative Treatment

If pilonidal is diagnosed early on, your doctor may suggest a Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic and recommend you a follow-up exam, and remove hair or shave the site. You should also pay particular attention to hygiene. The doctor may pack the wound with a sterile dressing.

Lancing

This procedure helps get rid of the symptoms from an abscess or a collection of pus inside the sinus. Before this procedure, you will need a local anesthetic.

Surgery

If it is a recurring PNS or if more than one sinus tract is detected, your doctor will Recommend a Pilonidal Sinus Operation.

After surgery, your doctor will tell you how to change the dressings and will recommend shaving the site to prevent hair from growing into the wound.

Learn All about the Pilonidal Sinus Treatments

Learn All about the Pilonidal Sinus Treatments and Operations for Fast Recovery

If you are suffering from any kind of lower digestive tract issues, you are suggested to consult an experienced proctologist for the best treatments. Such a specialist medical professional can efficiently diagnose your condition and provide treatment suggestions for faster recovery. If you are suffering from pilonidal sinus, then also, consulting such a specialist physician will take you towards complete recovery.

An overview of pilonidal sinus and its treatment options

The pilonidal sinus occurs at the top of the buttocks and looks like a small tunnel or hole, which often becomes infected. This condition initially does not cause any symptoms, however, if it fills with puss and results in an abscess, then swelling occurs and the condition becomes painful. In case of an infection, immediate medical attention is required for proper pilonidal sinus treatment.

The pilonidal sinus often looks like a small lump between the buttocks and is painful, red, bleeds, and leaks pus. These symptoms develop quite fast, in just a few days, and this is the time when you should consult a proctologist.

Now, you must be wondering, what are the pilonidal sinus treatment options. Well, if there is no infection in the pilonidal sinus, then usually the ‘watch and wait’ approach is suggested. However, if infection occurs then there are a number of treatment options and they differ according to your symptoms, the size of the sinus, and whether the sinus is occurring for the very first time or it keeps coming back.

Pilonidal sinus treatment options include prescription antibiotics, however, the pus present inside the sinus needs to be drained. The pain and swelling are reduced by prescribing painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications. Minor pilonidal sinus operations are also needed for draining the pus and cleaning the abscess, and dressing is done. And in some cases, when the pilonidal sinus is large and getting repeatedly infected, wide excision and open healing are required. During the pilonidal sinus operation, which is performed by an experienced proctologist surgeon, the sinus is cut out along with the infected surrounding skin, and the wound gradually heals naturally. So, consult a specialist laparoscopic surgeon and proctologist for the best treatment options.