Scalp Cyst

[AudiMan9000]

Okay so I have a sebaceous cyst on my scalp. About the size of a pea. It’s a pus/fluid filled sac which is mobile under the skin like a foreign body.

I previously had a cluster of them elsewhere on my scalp and paid privately £1000+ for them to be removed.

I really want this removed too. I know it can’t be done on the NHS, and trying to lance/drain it myself is a bad idea. Is there anywhere I can get it removed much cheaper, without having to go in for ‘surgery’ wearing nothing but a hospital gown?

I’m thinking like a high street dermatologist where I can just pop in and get it out for say £200.

[mcelliott]

Yeah I'm sure a dermo would do the job, had one on my leg form about 10yrs ago, took a whole year to form a crusty head, burst when I was on holiday, well I won't describe what can out but it lasted a full how to empty its self, leaving a large hole in my quad that I still have today!

[Don Roque]

Can't you just trap it and pop it subcutaneously? A bit of thumb pressure to burst it?

[AudiMan9000]

That doesn’t work sadly. The ‘sac’ of the cyst is pretty robust. Applying force just makes it slip around under the skin. You’d have to puncture it, and then inevitably get a nasty infection. Best to let the professionals cut it out under anaesthetic.

[Rockets7]

Had 3 shifted on the NHS after the GP refused I added....I’m a motorcyclist and find them distracting my concentration with my lid on...... referred and removed

[Lordbenny]

Over the years I’ve have 2 or 3 cysts removed from my scalp on the NHS. Takes about 15 minutes in a local clinic...lots of blood! I’ve got another, quite big, one I’m planning to get done sometime soon. I am lucky in that I have a good head of hair that covers it up.

[sherman]

Your gp surgery might do this sort of procedure themselves under a minor surgery clinic if they are a large enough practice.

[spikeyhead]

I used to get a lot of these, they stopped when I cut blue cheese from my diet

[Lordbenny]

spikeyhead said:

I used to get a lot of these, they stopped when I cut blue cheese from my diet

Does that explain your username?

[wrong_turn]

I had a cyst just in front of my ear lobe. The doctor described it as "the size of an olive". It was not uncomfortable, but did attract comments and as soon as I sought help, got through the system it was removed in Day Surgery within a few months, it was described as "cosmetic", with "QoL" thrown in as well.

My appointment was 1pm so about 6pm I phoned my boss to let him know I probably wasn't going to be back today! Big hospital and they obviously have to prioritise things that come up.

I had a local and felt nothing, but the "quick snip" the doctor had mentioned turned about to be a good half-hour of snipping right next to my ear.

Total cost - half a day's holiday.

[smithyithy]

Just bumping this thread as I'm in a similar position.

How much are people paying for a single removal by a private dermo? I've found a few ballpark figures around ~£300 in the Midlands.

I have a pea-sized, quite firm, painless cyst on the back of my head. Had it for quite a few years but it's got to the point where it just annoys me enough to want it removed. I like to keep the back and side of my hair shaved and that then makes the lump quite noticeable, so I get self-conscious about it..

I discussed this with my GP recently and he confirmed the NHS wouldn't do it unless it was causing pain, risk of spreading / infection, or similar, so I'm looking to go private..

[Lordbenny]

smithyithy said:

Just bumping this thread as I'm in a similar position.

How much are people paying for a single removal by a private dermo? I've found a few ballpark figures around ~£300 in the Midlands.

I have a pea-sized, quite firm, painless cyst on the back of my head. Had it for quite a few years but it's got to the point where it just annoys me enough to want it removed. I like to keep the back and side of my hair shaved and that then makes the lump quite noticeable, so I get self-conscious about it..

I discussed this with my GP recently and he confirmed the NHS wouldn't do it unless it was causing pain, risk of spreading / infection, or similar, so I'm looking to go private..

Funny that you bumped this thread….I have another one that is the size of a pound coin that I booked in to be removed by my NHS doctor two days ago. I don’t know who your doctor is but mine has no issue about getting it out as a ‘minor surgery’. As I have mentioned earlier it’s a simple operation (I’ve had two or three cut out in the past), a couple of injections and slice of the scalpel, then it’s cut out and sealed up with two or three dissolvable stitches. There’s a bit of blood as scalps do bleed so don’t wear your favourite shirt but I certainly wouldn’t bother going private. The only issue is that there is as 8 week wait at the moment but that’s no issue for me to be honest. Scalps heal up super quick too!

[Taita]

smithyithy said:

Just bumping this thread as I'm in a similar position.

How much are people paying for a single removal by a private dermo? I've found a few ballpark figures around ~£300 in the Midlands.

I have a pea-sized, quite firm, painless cyst on the back of my head. Had it for quite a few years but it's got to the point where it just annoys me enough to want it removed. I like to keep the back and side of my hair shaved and that then makes the lump quite noticeable, so I get self-conscious about it..

I discussed this with my GP recently and he confirmed the NHS wouldn't do it unless it was causing pain, risk of spreading / infection, or similar, so I'm looking to go private..

Tell your doc is has suddenly become very painful.

[smithyithy]

My GP basically said our area's healthcare trust has limited funds for what they class as 'treatments with limited clinical benefit' or something along those lines - basically things that are cosmetic only and not painful or risky as I said..

He said from seeing mine and from my description i.e it's not painful and it's not necessarily debilitating (it does make me anxious but it seems like it's have to stop me leaving the house to be considered) so at this stage he can't justify it..

If that's true and they are restricted on what they can do then I'd feel bad for kinda blagging that's it's worse, if there are people that genuinely need things treated sooner and are still waiting..

[popeyewhite]

Can you drain one with a syringe? Buy a scalpel and slice the thing open, seal with superglue?

[smithyithy]

This isn't really a drainable type I don't think, it's a really firm lump rather squishy

[bigpriest]

smithyithy said:

My GP basically said our area's healthcare trust has limited funds for what they class as 'treatments with limited clinical benefit' or something along those lines - basically things that are cosmetic only and not painful or risky as I said..

He said from seeing mine and from my description i.e it's not painful and it's not necessarily debilitating (it does make me anxious but it seems like it's have to stop me leaving the house to be considered) so at this stage he can't justify it..

If that's true and they are restricted on what they can do then I'd feel bad for kinda blagging that's it's worse, if there are people that genuinely need things treated sooner and are still waiting..

It varies from CCG to CCG but if this was a skin tag and someone claimed it was catching on their clothes or just irritating them on a daily basis it would be removed by trhe GP under Minor Surgery. Can you not pester / claim it's affecting your life a bit more / say you nicked it with a shaver and it bled a bit?

[popeyewhite]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yuck, I had one like that in front of my ear decades ago. Ice, girlfriend with scalpel, superglue then?

[gazapc]

I had one removed from the top of my head a few years ago on the NHS because it was causing irritation while wearing my cycle helmet.

Had a ring of adrenaline injections around the area (which stung like a bugger) to reduce bleeding and then sliced out plus a few stitches. All done at a local GP practice with 2 students observing. I could sense the GP quite enjoyed his opportunity to play being a surgeon for 10 minutes rather than having to deal with some old codger's never ending problem for the 15th time.

There was no way you were going to be able to squeeze it out, it was a reasonably solid lump. I wouldn't fancy my other half giving it ago with a scalpel off ebay...

[AudiMan9000]

smithyithy said:

Just bumping this thread as I'm in a similar position.

How much are people paying for a single removal by a private dermo? I've found a few ballpark figures around ~£300 in the Midlands.

I have a pea-sized, quite firm, painless cyst on the back of my head. Had it for quite a few years but it's got to the point where it just annoys me enough to want it removed. I like to keep the back and side of my hair shaved and that then makes the lump quite noticeable, so I get self-conscious about it..

I discussed this with my GP recently and he confirmed the NHS wouldn't do it unless it was causing pain, risk of spreading / infection, or similar, so I'm looking to go private..

Thanks for ‘bumping’ my old thread (pun fully intended). I still haven’t resolved mine and it seems to be getting bigger. GP has previously said NHS wouldn’t remove it. From what I’ve read you don’t want to be tackling it yourself. It would likely become infected, the cyst would regenerate and spread, your scar would be worse than a professional incision, and you’d need a professional to reprice your handywork.

I paid privately to have a cluster removed from my scalp some years ago and may have been ripped off. It was like £200 for a consultation (which was a repeat of the initial free consultation), and £1000 for the procedure which took place in a full on operating theatre with a whole surgical team.

Are there any cheaper options?