Pilonidal disease, boils on the buttocks that often affect men

Try checking your back. Just above the gap between the buttocks, do you see a large boil-like lump? If so, it may be a sign that you have pilonidal disease. These cysts, which are also called pilonidal sinuses, most often affect men, especially young people. People who sit a lot like taxi drivers are also at higher risk for pilonidal disease.

These cysts are benign, and not a symptom of cancer. But you still need to be careful. Because if left untreated, the cyst can become infected and fill with pus, and this can be painful.

What's the cause, huh?

Signs and symptoms of pilonidal disease

Pilonidal disease may be overlooked because it often causes no obvious symptoms. However, people suffering from this disease tend to develop an inflamed and infected cyst in the area above the gap between the buttocks. These cysts vary in size and can cause pain when walking or sitting.

The pilonidal sinus usually contains hair, dust and debris. If the sinuses become infected, you may notice redness and swelling around the crevices of your buttocks. These sinuses can drain pus and blood or give off a foul odor from the pus that dries up and can become a swollen lump (abscess). The infected area is sensitive to touch. In some cases, a person whose Pilonid cyst is already infected may experience fever, nausea or a feeling of pain.

About half of the people who have this condition have chronic pilonidal disease. Recurrent pilonidal disease is less intense and painful than the acute symptom as pus leaks out of the sinuses and releases pressure. However, the infection can last for a long time until the cyst must be removed surgically.

Some rare cases of pilonidal cysts occur in parts of the body other than near the coccyx. For example, many barbers, dog beauticians and sheep shippers develop pilonidal cysts on the skin between the fingers.

What causes a cyst to grow between the crevices of the buttocks?

The exact cause of this condition is not clear, but experts think that pilonidal cysts can be caused by hormonal changes, hair growth, and friction from clothing or from sitting for long periods of time.

Hair loss, especially hair that is coarse or stiff, can become trapped in the gaps between the buttocks. Sitting is an activity that causes friction, forcing the hair that grows in the area to get back into the skin. The immune system perceives the hair as foreign and fights it, which in turn causes cysts to form around the hair and can become infected. This condition develops more easily when irritated hair follicles are present.

Exercises that affect the buttocks area, tight clothing around the buttocks, heat, or sweat a lot can irritate or stretch hair follicles. Hair follicles can become clogged and infected and then open up into the surrounding tissue, forming an abscess if you continue to exercise or walk. Several pilonidal diseases can be experienced at birth.

How to treat pilonidal disease?

Pilonidal cysts are abscesses or ulcers. It needs to be drained, or cut surgically, in order to heal. Like other boils, pilonidal disease cannot be cured with antibiotics.