Pilonidal Sinus Surgery: What Is Involved With This Procedure?
What is pilonidal sinus surgery? How is this type of surgery done? This article will talk about the pilonidal sinus, why surgery may be sometimes needed for this part of the body, how the surgery is done and possible complications during surgery
What is pilonidal sinus surgery? How is this type of surgery done? This article will talk about the pilonidal sinus, why surgery may be sometimes needed for this part of the body, how the surgery is done and possible complications during surgery.
What is the pilonidal sinus?
This particular sinus is a small hole in the skin that is near the buttocks. This sinus may cause problems for people if a pilonidal cyst forms on the area. A pilonidal sinus cyst may contain pus or fluid because it is irritated because of dirty, hair and debris that are trapped in the area.
Pilonidal disease
Pilonidal disease is an infection that affects the crease in the buttocks. Pilonidal disease is a chronic infection of the skin that affects people from pubertal age until 40 years of age. Excessive sitting down, obesity and having body hair that is thick and stiff.
What are the causes?
Many people wonder about what causes this type of sinus disease. Experts are still trying to find the definitive cause for this sinus disease. However, they have narrowed it down to a few causes of pilonidal sinus disease. Here is a list of the possible causes.
Changing hormones
The bulk of cases happen after a person hits puberty. That is the time of a person’s life when they undergo significant changes in their hormones. The cysts that form because of pilonidal sinus disease may be caused because of the new body hair that grows on a person’s body after puberty.
Infected hair follicles
The hair that grows on the cleft or crease near the tailbone can become infected if it is not cleaned properly. After an abscess develops, more hair can be drawn in, making the infection worse.
Sitting down for a long time
Pilonidal sinus infections may also be caused by spending too much time sitting down. If there is already an existing infection in the area, friction from clothes because of sitting down for an extended period can cause even more harm and infection to the pilonidal sinus area.
Treatment for pilonidal sinus disease
The first step before getting any type of treatment for pilonidal sinus issues is detecting that the problem exists in the first place. Specific symptoms can signal a person that they have an infected pilonidal sinus. Here is a list of a few of the signs to look out for.
Pain
If there is an infection in the pilonidal sinus, the person will most likely feel pain when they stand up or sit down for long periods. The pain may intensify when there is movement in the pilonidal sinus area.
Redness and swelling
There may also be redness and swelling in the area because of the infection in the sinus. The skin around the area may also be sore because of the cyst that has formed in the area.
Blood and pus
Blood and pus may be present inside the cyst because of the infection. The pus and blood may also be the cause of the swelling and the pain the person feels in the pilonidal sinus.
When is pilonidal sinus surgery needed?
If you have a recurring infection in your pilonidal sinus, the doctor will most likely recommend surgery to help prevent further infections from happening in the future. The surgical procedure will involve a local anesthetic to numb the area. The doctor will then incise the pilonidal sinus to get rid of the pus inside the sinus. After all the blood and pus is removed, the sinus will be sewn shut to prevent further infections.
After the surgery, the doctor will teach the patient how to prevent hair from getting into the sinus again. If the hair is successfully prevented from growing into the would again, the pilonidal sinus will be safe from future infections.
Other types of treatment
Before a pilonidal sinus surgery is recommended, the doctor may recommend these different types of treatment first. These are less invasive treatments that work to help a patient get over a mild infection of the pilonidal sinus.
Antibacterial treatment
The doctor will first assess your infection. If they see that it is not too serious, they will prescribe a broad-spectrum antibiotic. They will recommend this antibiotic to help relieve the pain and swelling of the pilonidal sinus. Along with good personal hygiene habits, it will be enough to cure the infection. However, you will be required to go in for follow-up check-ups to ensure that all the infection will be gone. If not, the doctor will recommend other forms of treatment.
Lancing treatment
Lancing requires the cutting of the skin and the use of local anesthesia to remove the puss that is inside the pilonidal sinus. The cut will be marginally smaller than that of pilonidal sinus surgery because lancing is mostly used for cases that are not as serious as those that require the full-blown surgical procedure.
Phenol injection
A phenol injection is not very popular in the United States because of the high recurrence rate of this procedure. Most of the time, doctors will recommend a pilonidal sinus surgery instead of using a phenol injection on the infected area.
The process involves the injection of a phenol compound to act as an antiseptic into the infected cyst. This process will be repeated several times until the legion hardens and eventually closes.
Do you think you need sinus surgery?
Have you experienced any of the symptoms mentioned above? Or have you had one of the treatment methods but still had your pilonidal sinus infection recur even after the treatment? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you might be a candidate for pilonidal sinus surgery. The pilonidal disease may happen again and again, especially if you are unable to prevent hair from growing in the sinus.
One of the critical things to do to prevent infection is to practice good hygiene habits. If you are unsure about how to prevent hair from growing in the pilonidal sinus and causing even more infection again in the future, talk to your doctor about it. However, if you want to have a permanent solution to your problem, you can also talk to your doctor about having pilonidal sinus surgery. They will be the best people to inform you if you can be a candidate for this type of surgery
Approaching a doctor is the first step. Getting treatment is the next one. You will be able to ensure that your pilonidal sinus will no longer cause you any inconvenience if you let your doctor handle the situation.
