Dermatologist Dr. Sandra Lee, better known as Dr. Acne Popper, has attracted more than three million YouTube subscribers with her acne treatment videos. One of his most recent videos, posted on Monday, showed a columnar cyst on a woman’s scalp.
With Lee’s surgical skills and some anesthetic, the removal is quick and satisfying. Near the 1:48 mark, the cyst weakens the flow of gunk; At 2:30, Lee teases the whole thing as a single, smooth bulb
During the procedure, Lee had an interesting conversation with the patient, who described a previous attempt to remove the cyst at home. The woman squeezed the cyst, then said that a few days later she noticed a “prickly thing” coming out of it – the growth did not completely empty.
This anecdote is a reminder that self-inflicted cysts are often useless and dangerous.
According to DermNet NZ, the educational website of the New Zealand Dermatology Association, pilar cysts are common benign tumors of the scalp. These cysts are sacs of skin filled with keratin, the protein that makes up hair and nails, and are thick and sharp when the cyst is compressed.
