A pilonidal sinus known(PNS) is a small tract or tunnel that occurs under the skin in the split at the top of the buttocks. It is filled with pus, which is the reason for the formation of a cyst or abscess. It generally contains a nest of hair, dirt, and debris which appears like a pimple at the coccyx. It can become often infected and cause severe pain.
A PNS is a common condition among men than women, even young male adults suffer from cyst. The persons who sit a lot like drivers have a greater chance of getting affected by this condition. If the abscess troubles more, consult a doctor who will treat it to drain or remove it through surgery.
The actual cause of the pilonidal cyst condition is still unclear. But most pilonidal cysts seem to occur by friction and pressure created from the constant rubbing of skin, tight clothes, longer periods of sitting, bicycling or due to similar factors. This pressure forces the hair to grow downwards beneath the skin in that area. The body takes these hairs as abnormal and begins an immune response against it and that immune response forms the cyst.
In rare cases, the above explanation applies to other parts of the body as well, other than the tailbone region. For example, people in certain professions may have pilonidal cysts formed in the skin between fingers.
Factors that influence PNS:
There are some risk factors which make people more receptive to developing pilonidal cysts, such as,
-Male gender
-Age (PNS is common among young people in their 20s)
-An excessive amount of body fat
-Sedentary lifestyle
-Professions needing prolonged sitting
-Excess hair in the body
In the beginning, you may not notice any signs than a small dimple on the skin's surface at the coccyx. Nevertheless, the infection spreads over the depression, it will swiftly form into a swollen mass filled with fluid known as a cyst or an inflamed tissue called an abscess.
Below are the symptoms of the condition:
-Pain ( while performing actions like standing or sitting)
-Skin reddening
-Foul smell from pus bleed
-Swelling of the cyst at the bottom of the spine
-Drainage of pus or blood from the abscess
-Slight fever
Numerous complications may occur from PNS. These include wound infection and a PNS recurrence even after surgery.
Certain complications that the infected wound may include:
- Severe pain
- A swollen infected skin
- Fever
- Blood and pus draining from the wound section
- A foul odor spreading from the wound
- In unusual cases, if a chronically affected pilonidal cyst is not given the attention it needs, the person may have a slight risk of developing a type of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma.
The basic treatment for an infected PNS condition is a normal procedure performed by the doctor. As an initial step, an injection is used for numbing the area, your physician performs a minor incision to drain the cyst.
If the cyst happens again, which is a usual condition, you may require a thorough treatment procedure like surgery to remove the cyst completely.
After surgery, your doctor may decide to:
Leave the wound open. In such a case, the surgical wound is left uncovered with only dressing to let it heal from both internally and externally. This process takes some time for healing but commonly less risky of recurring a pilonidal cyst infection.
When the doctor chooses to Close the wound with stitches. The healing time in this process is shorter, but there is a higher risk of recurrence. Few surgeons perform the incision to the side of the buttocks cleft, where the healing process is especially hard. The care is very crucial once the surgery is done. It decides the recovery period. Your physician will provide you complete instructions on the maintenance like how to change dressings, what to expect of a natural healing process and when to consult the doctor if needed. You may have to shave often around the surgical section for preventing hairs from the wound.
Some surgeons may suggest that, even after the wound is healed, you should maintain the area free from hair by shaving every week, or by other ways to remove the hair. This decreases the possibility of recurring.
At present, pilonidal sinus(PNS) is a less serious condition. The doctors at VGM the best gastro centre in Coimbatore can support you to manage these painful tracts with simple remedies. The technological advancement and the innovation of the lasers makes the treatment procedure less invasive. The process is very easy if the diagnosis is made at the right time(early stage). The specialist surgeons in our gastro centre are well known for their expertise in the removal of cysts. If you are from the region of in and around Coimbatore, looking for safe and effective care for PNS, then visit VGM gastro centre the best hospital for pilonidal sinus treatment in Coimbatore.