Sebaceous cyst removal (epidermoid cyst/atheroma)
An epidermoid cyst, often called a sebaceous cyst, is a benign cyst under the skin filled with keratin. We remove it surgically, and the surgeon aims to take out the whole cyst wall when that is safe and relevant. The cyst can still come back.
Written and medically reviewed by Bahir Hadi, specialist in surgery, PhD
What is an epidermoid cyst?
A closed cyst arising from the epidermis and filled with keratin. It presents as a soft lump under the skin, often with a small central punctum. Most common on the scalp, face, neck and back. The everyday name is sebaceous cyst, but the content is not sebum.
When should it be removed?
- Continued growth.
- Recurrent inflammation or abscesses.
- Discomfort or pressure.
- Cosmetic reasons.
- Location prone to rubbing.
How do we remove it?
The surgeon aims to excise the whole cyst wall when that is safe and relevant, because remnants of the wall can lead to a new cyst. We remove it under local anaesthesia through a small elliptical incision, taking out the cyst with its wall. The wound is closed with sutures. How long it takes depends on the size and site of the cyst and the extent of the procedure, and we tell you individually.
Inflamed cyst
A red, tender, swollen epidermoid cyst is often inflamed because the cyst wall has ruptured, and is not necessarily bacterially infected. Whether antibiotics, incision and drainage, or simply watchful waiting is right depends on the clinical findings. A tense abscess is drained. Definitive excision is usually deferred until the inflammation has settled, because the tissue is otherwise friable; how long that takes is agreed individually and reflects our clinic practice, not a fixed guideline.
After removal
Wounds usually heal within 7–14 days. Sutures are removed according to location. It is our clinic procedure to send removed tissue for microscopic examination when the findings or history call for it.
Contact and appointments
Online booking is not available. Please call the clinic or ask your GP for a referral, so we can find the right appointment.
If you are in health insurance group 1 and have a valid referral from your GP, the examinations and treatments covered by the clinic's public health agreement are covered by the Danish public health insurance, so you pay nothing for them yourself. If you are in health insurance group 2, there is usually a small co-payment under the health insurance rules. If you are paying yourself, contact the clinic for a price.
Call the clinic
+45 39 64 01 25
Phone hours
Phone hours: Mon–Thu 09:00–12:00
Address
Hans Edvard Teglers Vej 9, 1st floor · 2920 Charlottenlund
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Contact information
- Hans Edvard Teglers Vej 9, 1st floor · 2920 Charlottenlund
- +45 39 64 01 25
- mail@kirurgen.dk
- Phone hours: Mon–Thu 09:00–12:00
For referring physicians
Provider number: 215430