Surgery Question
Hi everyone, I’ll try to keep this brief. About six months ago, a pilonidal cyst formed just underneath my tailbone on the inner part of my left cheek. It was close to the surface of the skin and caused no pain whatsoever. I was prescribed antibiotics and was initially diagnosed with a perianal cyst. After about a week and a half on the antibiotics, it went away completely. After that, I started shaving the area and cleaning it thoroughly to help prevent it from returning.
Unfortunately, I stopped shaving for a while, and about a month ago I noticed another cyst had formed in the exact same location. Again, it was completely painless, under the skin, and otherwise asymptomatic. I was promptly referred to a general surgeon, who re-diagnosed it as a pilonidal cyst based on the location and the fact that my tailbone is apparently unusually long (lol).
While waiting for the appointment, I decided to shave the area again, apply warm compresses, and avoid taking antibiotics to see how it would develop. This was over the course of several weeks prior to the appointment. As of today, I’ve noticed that it has essentially disappeared on its own. My general surgeon wants to perform a pilonidal sinus excision to remove the cyst, but again it has essentially disappeared and he even had trouble locating it.
I’m looking for advice on how to proceed. I leave for an exchange program in July and will be gone for about a year, so I’m worried it may come back, especially since I understand these things can recur. Given that it has been asymptomatic and seems to have resolved on its own, would keeping the area clean and shaved be enough to help prevent future flare-ups? Or would surgery still be recommended at this point? Thank you for any advice.