Sebaceous cyst removal - private surgery
Discussion
I'm just back from the GP & he told me that the NHS won't fund removal of a cyst I have had for years that has doubled in size in the last month.
Without getting into the debate about what should & shouldn't be funded, I'm resigned to going private. Any ideas on what I ought to be stumping up for this treatment? It's not anywhere complicated & should, all things being equal, be a quick minor excision.
Ta.
Without getting into the debate about what should & shouldn't be funded, I'm resigned to going private. Any ideas on what I ought to be stumping up for this treatment? It's not anywhere complicated & should, all things being equal, be a quick minor excision.
Ta.
Not sure but a couple of years back I had Mohs surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma from my head. This involves cutting, leaving the wound open whilst someone examines the tissue for cancer cells, then more cutting until there is no more evidence of cells present.
Cost privately was around £3000 so I'd imagine a cyst removal would be pretty simple thus a few hundred quid. In fact I now remember being quoted £500 for the removal of up to 3 moles on my face about 5 years ago.
ETA Here is a thread on another forum and £500 seems to be the regular figure that crops up.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php...
Cost privately was around £3000 so I'd imagine a cyst removal would be pretty simple thus a few hundred quid. In fact I now remember being quoted £500 for the removal of up to 3 moles on my face about 5 years ago.
ETA Here is a thread on another forum and £500 seems to be the regular figure that crops up.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php...
Edited by croyde on Thursday 24th April 10:56
Firstly, you don't say where it is (please don't tell us if it's on your meat & veg) but is this cyst just unsightly or is it affecting your ability to do your job? If the latter - whether by stopping you from wearing protective clothing or looking bad to clients or employers, you may have a chance of getting the GP to reconsider and recommend removal on the NHS. We see a remarkable number of very innocent naevi ("moles") which have apparently "changed" (raising, potentially the suspicion of malignancy) or which are "catching" in clothing / bra / jewellery or which "have bled" all of which, especially when the bikini season is looming, mean that they need to be removed on the NHS...
Second, £500 sounds like the right sort of ballpark. Mohs is very expensive because it takes a long time by comparison with a simple cyst or naevus, needing multiple frozen section examinations under the microscope to see if there is tumour in the little bit of skin removed each time and if so, re-excisions of slivers of tissue all at the same operation. Therefore it is reserved for tumours which are either in cosmetically sensitive areas where you can't take off a nice big ellipse, or where there isn't much skin to spare and there is important stuff nearby which would be troublesome if the tumour recurred (like the nose or the eye).
Second, £500 sounds like the right sort of ballpark. Mohs is very expensive because it takes a long time by comparison with a simple cyst or naevus, needing multiple frozen section examinations under the microscope to see if there is tumour in the little bit of skin removed each time and if so, re-excisions of slivers of tissue all at the same operation. Therefore it is reserved for tumours which are either in cosmetically sensitive areas where you can't take off a nice big ellipse, or where there isn't much skin to spare and there is important stuff nearby which would be troublesome if the tumour recurred (like the nose or the eye).
Video it.Post on a leading video hosting web site. Rake in the cash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4zX892XOaw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4zX892XOaw
Can't you just stab it with a pin and get a strong-stomached person to squeeze?
A few years ago, one of the physios at the rugby club did exactly that on a player. He was complaining that his shoulder hurt: turned out to be a cyst.
You should have seen what came out. Year's later, Ross's 'spot' is still the stuff of legend.
A few years ago, one of the physios at the rugby club did exactly that on a player. He was complaining that his shoulder hurt: turned out to be a cyst.
You should have seen what came out. Year's later, Ross's 'spot' is still the stuff of legend.
croyde said:
Not sure but a couple of years back I had Mohs surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma from my head. This involves cutting, leaving the wound open whilst someone examines the tissue for cancer cells, then more cutting until there is no more evidence of cells present.
Cost privately was around £3000
I reckon they were taking the piss. Had mine done in a NHS hospital. Sample was cut out long before the operation, then one surgeon cut off one side of my nose, pulled a flap of flesh over the hole and stitched it up. No-one examined anything during the operation.Cost privately was around £3000
mybrainhurts said:
I reckon they were taking the piss. Had mine done in a NHS hospital. Sample was cut out long before the operation, then one surgeon cut off one side of my nose, pulled a flap of flesh over the hole and stitched it up. No-one examined anything during the operation.
That's how my first one was removed. The hole was covered with skin from the back of my ear. When No2 and 3 came along they took it seriously as Mohs has a 99% chance of no recurrence in the area.I didn't pay £3000, I had it done on the NHS which meant that the one that started as a tiny pimple was bloody huge when I was finally operated on 1.5 years later
Mobile Chicane said:
Can't you just stab it with a pin and get a strong-stomached person to squeeze?
A few years ago, one of the physios at the rugby club did exactly that on a player. He was complaining that his shoulder hurt: turned out to be a cyst.
You should have seen what came out. Year's later, Ross's 'spot' is still the stuff of legend.
The stuff that comes out is not only unpleasant to look at but often smells a like a rancid cheese. If it has also become infected then it can be truly nauseating. DIY incision and squeeze often doesn't work; a "sebaceous" cyst is usually one of three subtypes, pilar, epidermoid or infundibular cysts (rarely other types) but regardless of type, all are essentially cysts beneath the skin surface lined with "skin". The cheesy content is the dead surface cells which we usually shed from our skin. Because there is no way out in a cyst these cells accumulate and the cyst slowly enlarges. If you incise it or just burst it this cheesy stuff escapes - some out to the surface to delight Ross's mates, but some into the surrounding tissues where it causes an inflammatory reaction and scarring. However you won't have got rid of the lining of the cyst which will continue to grow slowly and come back again - though you can milk it for the cheese every few weeks I suppose. Subsequent surgery to remove it will be more difficult because of the scarring. A few years ago, one of the physios at the rugby club did exactly that on a player. He was complaining that his shoulder hurt: turned out to be a cyst.
You should have seen what came out. Year's later, Ross's 'spot' is still the stuff of legend.
Had a quote of around £500 yesterday, so it looks like that's what twenty minutes private surgery costs these days.NHS did it at the surgery 12 years ago, 3 at a time, local injection, one scalpel cut and out they came (from head). Wrecked a shirt collar as there was a small blood leak but 20 mins tops and easy. They may come back; 1 has and wacked it off the bottom of car hard enough last week to make it leak for a couple of days.
OP this may sound odd but have you tried melting it?
As far as I know they are a build up of oils etc? I had one and over the course of a couple of months made sure I compressed it with a flanel for 2-3mins in a (warmer than usual) shower and it shrunk considerably over that time almost to the point of dissapearing. As far as I know the oils just get reabsorbed.
Slow process though.
Dont hold me to this I am not medically qualified in any way - your own risk obviously.
As far as I know they are a build up of oils etc? I had one and over the course of a couple of months made sure I compressed it with a flanel for 2-3mins in a (warmer than usual) shower and it shrunk considerably over that time almost to the point of dissapearing. As far as I know the oils just get reabsorbed.
Slow process though.
Dont hold me to this I am not medically qualified in any way - your own risk obviously.
vescaegg said:
OP this may sound odd but have you tried melting it?
As far as I know they are a build up of oils etc? I had one and over the course of a couple of months made sure I compressed it with a flanel for 2-3mins in a (warmer than usual) shower and it shrunk considerably over that time almost to the point of dissapearing. As far as I know the oils just get reabsorbed.
Slow process though.
Dont hold me to this I am not medically qualified in any way - your own risk obviously.
See above; though there are oils/lipids/fats in the goo inside it is essentially oily flakes of skin (keratin) which isn't resorbed, nor is the lining, so if it is one of the usual cysts it won't go away like that. If you had an abscess that often goes away with time and warm compresses. mgrays cysts would have been pilar cysts which usually occur on the scalp, often multiple - so the later one was probably a new one. The £500 isn't just for surgery - there'll be a nurse, a procedure room, malpractice insurance, many years of training, and one would hope pathological examination by another consultant to ensure that it is what it sounds like. Bargain!As far as I know they are a build up of oils etc? I had one and over the course of a couple of months made sure I compressed it with a flanel for 2-3mins in a (warmer than usual) shower and it shrunk considerably over that time almost to the point of dissapearing. As far as I know the oils just get reabsorbed.
Slow process though.
Dont hold me to this I am not medically qualified in any way - your own risk obviously.
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