Cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form in tissues in various parts of the body. They look like sacs or capsules that are connected together. Inside the cysts, they usually contain fluid, semi-solid, or air. They can be small or large and usually grow gradually.
Cysts on the skin are raised, while cysts under the skin may be palpable as lumps. Cysts on internal organs may not cause any symptoms, so patients do not feel that they have a cyst inside their body. In addition, cysts on the body are not painful and do not cause severe symptoms unless the cyst is infected, large, or in a sensitive area.
Types of cysts
Since cysts can form in any part of the body tissue, there are over 100 types of cysts. The most common types include:
Sebaceous Cyst
Epidermoid cysts, also known as sebaceous cysts, are small bumps filled with a yellow oil called sebum. Sebum cysts occur when the sebaceous glands that produce the oil that nourishes the skin and hair become damaged.
These cysts often occur in areas with hair follicles and sebaceous glands, such as the penis, breasts, or back. Some people may develop these cysts because they have inherited a condition called Gardner’s Syndrome, which is not common.
Ganglion Cyst
Synovial cysts of the wrist often occur on the hands and wrists and may spread to the feet. They also tend to occur along tendons and tendon sheaths and are more common in women than in men.
Ovarian Cyst/Adnexal Cysts
Ovarian cysts are fluid accumulations inside or on the surface of the ovaries. There are many types of ovarian cysts, the most common of which is a functional cyst, which is divided into two types:
- Follicle Cyst During a woman’s menstrual cycle, an egg develops in a fluid-filled sac called a follicle, which is located inside the ovary. Most often, the cyst will rupture and release the egg. If the cyst does not rupture, the fluid inside the cyst will form a cyst inside the ovary.
- Corpus Luteum Cyst Normally, the cyst dissolves after the egg is released. However, if the cyst does not dissolve and does not open, fluid will accumulate inside the cyst, forming a corpus luteum cyst.
There are also other types of ovarian cysts, including:
- A dermoid cyst is a fluid-filled growth on an ovary that contains hair, fat, and other tissue.
- Cystadenoma is a noncancerous cyst that usually forms in the ovarian tissue.
- Endometriomasare endometrial cells that grow outside the uterus and attach to the ovaries, forming cysts.
Some women will experience Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which means that there are many small cysts or cysts in the ovaries, causing the ovaries to enlarge. If left untreated, this condition can lead to infertility.
- A breast cyst is a round or oval-shaped sac filled with fluid from the lining of the distal milk duct. Cysts occur when fluid accumulates in the lining of the distal milk duct due to a blocked milk duct. Women between the ages of 30 and 40 are most likely to develop this type of cyst. Cysts that form in the breast cause the patient to feel a lump, feel pain, or experience breast engorgement. The patient should see a doctor to make sure that the cyst has not spread to other diseases.
- Chalazia is a cyst that forms on the eyelid caused by a blocked sebaceous gland duct in the eyelid. The patient will feel tightness and swelling of the wound. If the cyst is very large, it can cause vision problems.
- Pilonidal Cyst: This type of cyst occurs in the buttocks and contains skin, oil, hair, and other debris. It occurs more often in men than in women.
Symptoms of cysts
Cysts are typically small lumps or sacs of fluid that grow in the body’s tissues. People who have cysts may not experience any symptoms. However, different types of cysts cause different symptoms, depending on their size and where they occur.
Sometimes cysts appear as lumps or bumps on the skin or tissue beneath the skin and cause pain in the area. Cysts that form on internal organs do not cause any symptoms if they are small.
However, if the cysts grow large enough to squeeze or press on other internal organs or cause blockage of the circulatory system of tissues such as the liver or pancreas, preventing the normal flow of fluid, the patient may develop symptoms in these related organs.
For the symptoms of each type of cyst, we will focus on the cysts that occur and are commonly found as follows:
Sebaceous Cyst
Patients develop small, round lumps under the skin, most commonly on the face, neck, and torso. In the center of the lump is a small black bump. Sometimes, a yellow viscous fluid leaks out. If it is a tumor or infected, there will be redness, swelling, and tightness in the cyst area.
Ganglion Cyst
Cysts or fluid-filled sacs on the wrist occur along the tendons or joints of the wrist and hand, and may occur on the ankles and feet, as well as joints of other organs. Cysts are round or oval in shape, measuring no more than 1 inch in size. The size of the cysts is variable.
If the patient repeatedly uses the joint where the cyst is located, it can cause the cyst to grow larger. Most patients will not feel anything unless the cyst is pressing on a nerve. A cyst pressing on a nerve can cause pain, tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness.
Ovarian Cyst
Ovarian cysts do not cause any symptoms and will go away on their own. However, large ovarian cysts can cause abdominal discomfort. Some people may need to urinate frequently because their bladder function is reduced due to compression by the cyst.
Patients with ovarian cysts will experience pain in the pelvis, extending to the lower back and thighs, and pain before the onset and end of menstruation, as well as pelvic pain during penetration during intercourse. In addition, patients will also experience abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Breast Cyst
Breast cysts may occur in one or both breasts. The cysts are round or oval, smooth, and easily moved. They often appear along the breast line. The nipples are yellow or dark brown in color. The breasts become enlarged or engorged before menstruation and decrease after menopause. The patient may feel breast tenderness or soreness in the area of the cyst and may also feel a soft lump in the breast.
Chronic shrimp (Chalazia)
People who have a stye will have a bead-like cyst on their eyelid. At first, the patient will feel pain when they have a stye, but after that, the lump will gradually swell and the pain will go away.
Lump under the skin of the buttocks (Pilonidal Cyst)
Cysts or lumps that form under the skin of the buttocks can develop into lumps or abscesses . The lumps are painful, the skin is red, pus or blood oozes from the open wound and have a fishy smell.
In addition, cysts may be associated with cancerous tumors or severe infections, which is rare. If a patient notices an abnormal lump, they can see a doctor for consultation. The doctor will recommend an appropriate diagnostic method to diagnose the cause of the cyst.
Causes of cysts
Each type of cyst has different causes or factors that cause it. The common types of cysts have different causes as follows:
Sebaceous Cyst
This type of cyst is caused by outer skin cells invading the dermis and producing more layers of cells rather than shedding. The skin cells build up the surface of the cyst and allow keratin to flow inside. This keratin is thick, yellow in color, and sometimes leaks from the cyst.
The misplaced growth of skin cells can be caused by damage to the hair follicles or sebaceous glands on the skin. Risk factors for developing sebaceous cysts include puberty, acne, rare genetic diseases, and skin injuries.
Ganglion Cyst
There is no clear cause of wrist cysts, but risk factors for wrist cysts depend on gender, age, and medical history. This type of cyst usually occurs in women aged 20–40 years. Women who have a history of joint or tendon injuries, as well as those who have osteoarthritis in the finger joint closest to the nail, are at high risk of developing wrist cysts.
Ovarian Cyst/Adnexal Cysts
Most often, ovarian cysts occur during your menstrual cycle and are called functional cysts. The ovaries make sacs to accommodate each month’s ovulation. These sacs are called follicles. When your body ovulates, the cysts produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone and release an egg.
The cyst will sometimes grow larger each month. A simple ovarian cyst is not dangerous and may cause some pain, but the cyst will go away on its own. However, there are some types of ovarian cysts that are not related to the menstrual cycle, including:
- Dermoid cysts are formed when the cells that produce eggs are filled with tissue, such as hair, skin, or teeth.
- Cystadenomas: These cysts arise from ovarian tissue and are filled with fluid or mucus.
- Endometriosis (endometriomas) Endometrial cells grow outside the uterus, which can attach to the ovaries and develop into cysts.
Ovarian dermoid cysts and cystadenomas can grow larger, pushing the ovaries out of their original pelvic position, putting the patient at risk for ovarian torsion.
Breast Cyst
Doctors have not found a cause for breast cysts. These cysts may be caused by hormonal changes during a woman’s menstrual cycle. It is also suspected that excessive estrogen levels in the body are the cause of breast cysts. Estrogen stimulates the breast tissue and may cause cysts to form in this area.
Chronic shrimp (Chalazia)
The cause of chronic stye is a blocked sebaceous gland duct in the eyelid.
Lump under the skin of the buttocks (Pilonidal Cyst)
The exact cause of cysts under the skin of the buttocks is not yet known, but most often it is caused by soft hair growing on the skin. Hair will become more deeply rooted in the skin if the skin rubs together, wears tight clothing, rides a bicycle, or sits for a long time. The hair that grows is considered a foreign object, so the body creates a cyst around it.
In addition, the risk factors for cysts depend on the cause of each type of cyst. Genetics, physical developmental defects, infections, tumors, and obstruction of the body’s fluid and oil circulation system are all risk factors for cysts.
Cyst diagnosis
Initially, doctors can diagnose cysts immediately by feeling the lump that has formed. If the cyst that the patient has is on the skin or on an organ that can be felt for diagnosis, the doctor may also diagnose by studying various scans (Imaging Study) to check for cysts, including:
- Ultrasound
- X-ray
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
In this case, doctors may use a biopsy to diagnose whether the lump or cyst that grows in the patient’s body can develop into malignant tissue. Biopsy is also used to reduce the size of the cyst.
Cyst treatment
Treatment of cysts depends on the symptoms and type of cyst the patient has. The doctor who treats each type of cyst will have different expertise in the area where the cyst occurs. However, if you find that you have a cyst,
In any part of the body, patients usually see a family doctor (Primary-Care Doctor) or general practitioner first for consultation because some cysts do not require treatment, such as those who have sebaceous cysts under the skin and do not have any other symptoms, do not need to be treated.
However, for those who have cysts in other organs, they may need different treatment methods depending on the symptoms of the disease, such as draining the fluid or substance inside the cyst, injecting medicine or giving medication to reduce the symptoms of the cyst, or surgically removing the cyst.
Each medical treatment for cysts involves several specialists, such as obstetricians, surgeons, orthopedic surgeons (specialists in treating bones and joints, tendons, muscles and nerves), gastroenterologists, otolaryngologists, dermatologists, or oncologists, etc.
Complications of cysts
Each type of cyst causes different complications depending on the symptoms of the disease. The common complications of each type of cyst are as follows:
Sebaceous Cyst
Cysts that form under the skin can become swollen or inflamed and are difficult to remove. Your doctor may delay removing the cyst until the inflammation has improved. If the cyst ruptures, it can become infected and require immediate treatment. For men with cysts on their penis, they may feel pain when urinating or having sex. In addition, cysts can rarely lead to skin cancer in some patients.
Ovarian Cyst
A common complication in patients with ovarian cysts is ovarian torsion, which occurs when the cysts are so large that they push the ovaries out of their original position in the pelvis. Patients will feel pain in that area due to the ovarian torsion.
Chronic shrimp (Chalazia)
Surgery for stye is considered a safe treatment, but complications can occur uncommonly. Some patients may experience slight bleeding from the wound, some may develop an infection at the surgical site, and, most rarely, the infection spreads to the bloodstream.
However, the most serious problem with sty surgery occurs when the surgery is not complete. The area of the sty will become scarred and lumpy, sometimes causing discomfort. However, if the cyst is small, the patient does not need surgery.
For large eyelid cysts, warm compresses should be applied frequently. If the patient recurs or the symptoms do not improve, the patient should see an ophthalmologist to receive injections to shrink the cyst or undergo surgery for chronic stye. If chronic stye occurs multiple times, the doctor may order a biopsy to see if there are any cancer cells.
Lump under the skin of the buttocks (Pilonidal Cyst)
If the lump under the skin becomes infected and is not treated properly for a long time, the patient may be at risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, an infected lump under the skin that will gradually develop into cancer.
Cyst prevention
Most types of cysts cannot be prevented, but some types can be prevented by avoiding behaviors that put cysts in various parts of the body at risk. In addition, patients with each type of cyst can take care of their own symptoms to prevent the symptoms of the disease from spreading further. Each type of cyst that is commonly found has methods of prevention and treatment of the symptoms of the disease, as follows:
Sebaceous Cyst
Although this type of cyst cannot be prevented, patients can help prevent it from spreading or becoming infected by placing a warm, damp washcloth over the cyst to help drain the contents, and by not squeezing or popping the cyst yourself.
Ganglion Cyst
Patients can take aspirin or the anti-inflammatory drug naproxen to relieve pain. For those who have cysts in their ankles or feet, they may try changing their shoes or adjusting the laces to make them more comfortable and reduce the pain from the cyst. Most importantly, do not squeeze or puncture the cyst with a needle, as this can lead to infection.
Ovarian Cyst
Although there is no sure way to prevent ovarian cysts, regular pelvic exams can help diagnose changes in the ovaries in a timely manner. In addition, you should always observe any changes or abnormal symptoms during your menstrual cycle and see your doctor for consultation and treatment advice.
Breast Cyst
Women with breast cysts should wear a post-surgery bra or sports bra to support the breasts and help reduce discomfort. If the cyst is painful, apply a warm, cold compress or ice pack to relieve the pain. Take pain relievers as prescribed by your doctor, such as paracetamol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs ) , such as aspirin or naproxen.
Stye (Chalazia)
The eyelids along the conjunctiva should be cleansed with a gentle cleanser to help prevent clogged sebaceous ducts in this area.
Lump under the skin of the buttocks (Pilonidal Cyst)
To prevent cysts from forming, you should clean and dry the skin around your buttocks, and get up and walk around or do other activities to avoid sitting for long periods. For those who have had cysts around their buttocks, you may need to shave the hair in that area or use hair removal products regularly to reduce the risk of fine hairs growing back.
