Treatment of Sebaceous Cysts
Sebaceous cysts most often disappear on their own and are not dangerous. As stated, however, they may become inflamed, tender, and even infected.

Sometimes sebaceous cysts grow large enough that they may interfere with your everyday life. When this happens, surgical removal may be necessary, and this procedure can be done at your doctor's office.

Inflamed cysts can often be treated by your doctor who will inject a steroid into the cyst to calm and shrink it. But if your doctor suspects the cyst is infected, it needs to be incised and drained to remove the infected material. Due to the fact that an infected cyst can be painful, your doctor will likely inject an anesthetic (for example, 1 percent lidocaine) around the cyst to numb the area first before draining it.

If an infected sebaceous cyst is not promptly treated, the infection can spread into the surrounding skin. This is called cellulitis, which is a more serious condition, often requiring an oral antibiotic in addition to incision and drainage.

For complete surgical removal of the cyst, including the cyst wall, a doctor will usually wait until the cyst is not inflamed or infected before excising it, as recurrence of the cyst is then much less common.

Besides excision (cutting out the cyst surgically), a study published in the Archives of Plastic Surgery reports on a CO2 laser treatment to remove sebaceous cysts with minimal scarring and low recurrence rates. This may be a good option for people with a cyst on their face or other visible areas.