What Are Sebaceous Cysts?

These lumps usually disappear on their own but can get infected

Table of Contents
View All
Table of Contents

Sebaceous cysts are soft skin-colored lumps that slowly grow under the skin. They are filled with a thick, oily substance that may drain out. Painless and otherwise harmless, sebaceous cysts can sometimes get infected. It is very rare for a sebaceous cyst to become malignant, or cancerous.

Sebaceous cysts can be easily moved under the skin. While they can pop up anywhere on the body, they are commonly found on the head, back of the ears, neck, and trunk.

Doctor examining a sebaceous cyst

jarabee123 / Getty Images

This article looks at the symptoms of sebaceous cysts, how they're diagnosed, and what treatment options are available. It also discusses when sebaceous cyst removal is needed and how it's done.

What Is a Cyst?

A cyst is a pouch-like tissue sac filled with fluid, air, or semi-solid substances like keratin. There are many types of cysts. Some, like sebaceous cysts, occur underneath the skin. Others form inside the body, such as on the kidneys or breast.

Sebaceous Cyst Symptoms

Sebaceous cysts have several notable features:

  • Appear as oft lumps or bumps
  • Grow slowly just under the skin
  • Are typically painless
  • Usually have a visible hole in the middle called a central punctum
  • Move freely when touched

Some sebaceous cysts stay the same size over time, while others get bigger. That can get uncomfortable or painful, especially if they're inflamed.

Sebaceous cysts can also become inflamed. If they do, you may notice:

  • Redness
  • Tenderness
  • Warmth in the skin over the cyst

Are Sebaceous Cysts Common?

Sebaceous cysts are not uncommon. Anyone can get a sebaceous cyst during their lifetime. However, some people may be genetically prone to getting these skin lesions or have another condition that makes getting them even more common.

What Causes Sebaceous Cysts?

To understand where sebaceous cysts come from, it's important to understand certain structures in the skin. Sebaceous glands in the skin produce sebum, an oily liquid with several vital functions, like temperature regulation, lubrication, and protection from environmental factors. Hair follicles are located adjacent to sebaceous glands. When the pore leading from the sebaceous gland to the hair follicle becomes blocked, material can build up, and a sebaceous cyst forms.

Some reasons the sebaceous gland can become blocked include:

  • Trauma, like a scratch
  • Surgery
  • Acne
  • Genetic disorders like Gardner's syndrome, Gorlin syndrome, or Favre-Racouchot syndrome
  • Hormones, specifically androgens

What's Inside a Sebaceous Cyst?

Sebaceous cysts are filled with dead skin cells and keratin, a protein in your hair, skin, nails, glands, and internal organs. If a sebaceous cyst breaks open, you'll see keratin ooze out. It looks pasty or cheesy and may have a foul odor. Infected sebaceous cysts may also be filled with pus.

True sebaceous cysts originate from the outer layer of skin (the epidermis). Their proper name is "epidermoid cyst," but many people (including healthcare providers) still use the term "sebaceous cyst."

Diagnosis

This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.

Cyst of a sebaceous gland on the scalp
Cyst of a sebaceous gland on the scalp. Lester V. Bergman / Getty Images​

Many healthcare providers can diagnose sebaceous cysts on sight. Sometimes, they may order a biopsy or skin culture to rule out similar conditions.

Things that may look like a sebaceous cyst include:

  • Abscess: A collection of pus underneath the skin
  • Lipoma: A noncancerous mass of fatty tissue

Don't try to diagnose yourself. See a healthcare provider so you know for sure what it is.

Sebaceous Cyst Treatment

There are no proven or reliable ways to dissolve a sebaceous cyst naturally. You should never try to pop or drain a sebaceous cyst yourself, as this can cause infection. It's OK if they drain on their own, however. A sebaceous cyst could resolve within about four weeks or grow or become inflamed or infected.

If a sebaceous cyst is inflamed and bothersome, steroid injections can be used to calm and shrink it.

If a sebaceous cyst becomes infected, a healthcare practitioner will open and drain it using sterile tools. They may numb the area ahead of time, often with the drug lidocaine, to minimize pain.

Infection from a sebaceous cyst can spread to the surrounding skin. This is called cellulitis, and it's a more severe condition. You may need an oral antibiotic plus incision and drainage. Cellulitis that does not respond to medication can also turn into necrotizing fasciitis, often referred to as a flesh-eating disease. You can avoid these more severe outcomes by treating infected cysts immediately.

When Surgery Is Needed

Sometimes sebaceous cysts grow large enough to interfere with your daily life. These may need to be removed. This is typically performed via a small incision using local anesthesia at the dermatologist's office.

Your healthcare provider will probably wait until your cyst isn't inflamed or infected to proceed with surgical removal. This can keep the cyst from coming back.

Sebaceous Cyst Removal Recovery

Sebaceous cyst removal is minimally invasive, so recovery tends to be fairly straightforward. Recovery becomes more complicated and prolonged if the site of the removed sebaceous cyst becomes infected.

Otherwise, the length of your recovery from a sebaceous cyst removal depends on the size of your sebaceous cyst and how it is removed.

If the cyst is surgically removed and there is an open wound, it can take several weeks for the wound to heal. You may or may not have stitches that must also be taken out.

While incision and drainage take less time to heal—typically about a week—there is a high chance that the sebaceous cyst may recur, thus requiring further treatment and recovery.

How Much Does It Cost to Remove a Sebaceous Cyst?

Benign (non-cancerous) sebaceous cysts that do not threaten your health or function are considered cosmetic by many insurance providers, including Medicare. When sebaceous cyst removal is considered a cosmetic procedure, these insurers will not cover it. Without health insurance, sebaceous cyst removal may cost a few hundred dollars.

Summary

Sebaceous cysts are bumps just under the skin full of keratin. Despite the name, they don't contain sebum. They can usually be diagnosed on sight. Biopsies can rule out similar problems if needed.

Treatments can involve steroid injections, drainage, or surgical removal. Left untreated, these cysts can become quite large, uncomfortable, or unsightly, which could require surgery. Getting a sebaceous cyst treated early can prevent the need for surgical intervention.

14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Islam MN, Sobhan MA, Rahman AM, Rahman MS, Hossain MS, Fatema NE. Management of infected sebaceous cyst by suture closure: A new approachMymensingh Med J. 2017;26(4):828-830.

  2. Faltaous AA, Leigh EC, Ray P, Wolbert TT. A rare transformation of epidermoid cyst into squamous cell carcinoma: a case report with literature review. Am J Case Rep. 2019;20:1141-1143. doi:10.12659/AJCR.912828

  3. UC San Diego Health, Health Library. Epidermoid cysts of the skin.

  4. Harvard Medical School, Harvard Health Publishing. Cysts (overview).

  5. Hardin A, Corn J. Naturopathic treatment of an inflamed epidermoid cyst: A case reportIntegr Med (Encinitas). 2020;19(6):32-35.

  6. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Sebaceous cysts.

  7. Géhin C, Tokarska J, Fowler SJ, Barran PE, Trivedi DK. No skin off your back: the sampling and extraction of sebum for metabolomics. Metabolomics. 2023;19(4):21. doi:10.1007/s11306-023-01982-3

  8. Kshirsagar VV, Modi V. Multiple sebaceous cysts on the scrotum: a rare surgical occurrence. Cureus. 15(5):e39607. doi:10.7759/cureus.39607

  9. Hoang VT, Trinh CT, Nguyen CH, Chansomphou V, Chansomphou V, Tran TTT. Overview of epidermoid cyst. European Journal of Radiology Open. 2019;6:291-301. doi:10.1016/j.ejro.2019.08.003

  10. Cedars Sinai. Epidermoid cysts of the skin.

  11. Priyadharshini G, Varghese RG, Phansalkar M, Ramdas A, K A, G T. Subcutaneous fungal cyst masquerading as benign lesions - a series of eight casesJ Clin Diagn Res. 2015;9(10):EM01-EM4. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2015/14157.6637

  12. Bosman WM, Brekelmans W, Verduijn PS, Borger van der Burg BL, Ritchie ED. Necrotising fasciitis due to an infected sebaceous cystBMJ Case Rep. 2014;2014:bcr2013201905. doi:10.1136/bcr-2013-201905

  13. Chen B, Lu H, Ren C, et al. Excision of sebaceous cyst by intraoral approach: A case reportMedicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(49):e8803. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000008803

  14. CMS.gov. Removal of benign skin lesions.

Additional Reading

By Tracee Cornforth
Tracee Cornforth is a freelance writer who covers menstruation, menstrual disorders, and other women's health issues.