13Nice Sebaceous Cysts Treatment Tips                  

A sebaceous cyst is a closed sac under the skin filled with a cheese-like or oily material. Sebaceous cysts are commonly seen on the scalp, labia, scrotum, chest, and back, but can be found anywhere on the body. A foul odor is also often present in the substance called keratin which fills sebaceous cysts. Keratin is a protein that creates the sac of cells called sebaceous cysts. The bumps or lumps you can feel under your skin are actually the sac of cells. Sebaceous cysts are often the result of swollen hair follicles, or skin trauma. The scalp, ears, back, face, and upper arm, are common sites for sebaceous cysts, though they may occur anywhere on the body except the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. In males a common place for them to develop is the scrotum and chest.

They are more common in hairier areas, where in cases of long duration they could result in hair loss on the skin surface immediately above the cyst. The main symptom is usually a small, non-painful lump beneath the skin. Small lumps or bumps that occur just under the skin of the genitalia, breast, abdomen, face, neck, or elsewhere on the body are the most common symptom of sebaceous cysts. Sebaceous cysts may occasionally become infected and form into painful abscesses. It is important when sebaceous cysts are surgically removed that the entire sac is excised to help prevent a recurrence. large cysts may reappear and may have to be surgically removed. If a cyst becomes infected, treatment may include administering antibiotics and then surgically removing the cyst.

Surgical excision of a sebaceous cyst is a simple procedure to completely remove the sac and its contents. Total excision surgical technique removes the entire cyst and so prevents recurrence. Home treatment of sebaceous (epidermal) cyst, may relieve symptoms but may not make the cyst go away. Apply warm, wet washcloths to the lump for 20 to 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times a day. Inject an inflamed but uninfected epidermis cyst with a corticosteroid to help reduce the inflammation. To minimize scarring use a carbon dioxide laser to vaporize an epidermis cyst on your face or other sensitive area. Avoiding excessive sun exposure and using oil-free skin care products can help prevent milia. To prevent scarring and infection, don't try to squeeze cysts yourself.

Sebaceous Cysts Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Do not squeeze, scratch, drain, open (lance), or puncture the lump.

2. Keep the area clean by washing the lump and surrounding skin well with an antibacterial soap.

3. Apply warm, wet washcloths to the lump for 20 to 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times a day.

4. Avoiding excessive sun exposure and using oil-free skin care products can help prevent milia.

5. Prophylactic tetracycline or erythromycin ointment is applied once, 1 hour after delivery.

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Can Rooster Comb Injections Prevent Knee Replacement?

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is one of the most common problems seen by both rheumatologists as well as orthopedists in the office. The standard forms of therapy include maintenance of proper weight, exercise, application of cold, bracing, analgesics (pain killers), anti-inflammatory medicines, steroid injections, and. This latter type of treatment involves the injection of a lubricant directly into the knee.

These lubricants consist of a purified form of a protein called hyaluronic acid (HA). These preparations are effective in relieving pain. pain relief from OA of the knee starts between the 5th and 13th week following injection. While HA is felt to be effective for pain relief, it has been unclear as to whether there are any other benefits.

Two recent studies have demonstrated that may actually forestall the need for eventual knee replacement surgery and also may represent a long term cost savings.

The first study from Louisiana State University surveyed patients from a large orthopedic practice. A total of 863 patients (1187 knees) were evaluated. All patients had grade 4 changes, meaning they had "bone on bone" and were candidates for total knee replacement.

Using survival analysis of the data, it was estimated that total knee replacement was delayed approximately 3.8 years in 75 percent of the knees receiving (Waddell DD, et al. J. Managed Care Pharm. 2007; 2:113-121.)

In another study, investigators in Thailand studied one hundred and eighty three patients with knee OA (208 knees) who failed conservative treatments and did not have contraindications for surgery were enrolled. All patients were treated with one course of three hyaluoronic acid injections at weekly intervals and followed up for a minimum 2-year period. In case of successful treatment (response group), repeated doses were recommended. If the patients did not improve within one month after completion of the injections, they would be classified as a non-response group and total knee replacement surgery was considered. Cost of direct medical costs (drugs), hospitalization, and resource utilization were recorded and analyzed.

They concluded that IA-HA (joint injection with HA) should be considered as a medical intervention before surgical procedures in knee OA patients who failed conservative treatments. Even though the cost of IA-HA treatment would increase the total costs of treatment and some patients might fail, it was only 6.44% of the total costs. On the other hand, if patients responded to IA-HA treatment, then the surgical procedures were not required. This treatment would represent a savings of 63.26% of total costs. (Turajane T, et al. J Med Assoc Thailand. 2007; 90; 1839).

While, the exact analyses and conclusions of these two studies are different, they do suggest that HA may be cost effective in delaying the need for total knee replacement.

There are five HA preparations available. They are Hyalgan, Synvisc, Supartz, Orthovisc, and Euflexxa. Only Euflexxa is not derived from a chicken source.

The number of injections required varies from 3-5 depending on the preparation used. Hyalgan and Supartz generally are given as weekly injections for 5 weeks while Synvisc, Orthovisc, and Euflexxa are given as weekly injections for 3 weeks.

This injections should be administered using either fluoroscopic or ultrasound needle guidance to ensure accuracy.

Side-effects are minimal when administered by trained specialists.

HA injections are worth a try even with grade 4 knees if patients wish to delay surgery.