Anyone ever had a sebaceous cyst removed?

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

I have one on my chest. I know it's benign, but I don't like the way it looks. I would prefer to have it removed for cosmetic reasons if the procedure doesn't cost much. How much should I expect to pay to have a sebaceous cyst removed? I don't have insurance, but I know insurance won't cover removal of cysts for cosmetic reasons anyhow. What kind of doctor should I go to get this done?

[bleedingheart]

1. My brother had one removed in the doctor's office

it was under insurance...but I would say around $200 or a bit more with antibiotic ointment cost etc...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Go to a general surgeon

and it is good to get them removed as they can cause infection so insurance should cpver it....not clear of cost.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

7. Well... my got really large and infected 5 years ago.

I got antibiotics for it then and it hasn't gotten infected since then. I was told it wasn't necessary to remove it, and I didn't bother then because I was too busy with school to care.
I've lost a lot of weight since college, and now the cyst is more noticeable because I have don't have as much body fat.

[WarNoMore]

3. I went to a dermatologist

to have one taken off the back of my neck. I can't believe I can't remember the cost, I was covered by insurance.

[shesemsmom]

4. I had one done in the doctors office and one done in hospital. You should

be able to get one on chest done in the office. Piece of cake. You family dotor can do it or refer you to a surgeon. Insurence covered mine. when my insurence was good

[B Calm]

5. I had one removed on the back of my neck TWICE!

Yes it came back! The good news is it's been three years now since my second procedure and it hasn't came back. My insurance covered it both times. Just about any family doctor can do this procedure.

[koopie57]

6. also ask about the pathologist's fees

.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

9. What do you mean by that? n/t

[koopie57]

24. After it is removed

it most likely will be sent to pathology for diagnosis. For a skin biopsy it will be a set fee. I just wanted to give you a heads up that there will be a fee for that. I certainly didn't mean anything sinister.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

25. Yeah... that's probably a good idea to have done,

not that I think it's anything. It doesn't seem to have grown, and it responded to the antibiotics the one time it became infected.

Would the doctor's office be able to tell me how much the lab fees for biopsy would cost, even though they don't actually perform the procedure?

[serryjw]

8. Don't wait!

I had one removed and it was encapsulated. The other I waited to long and it burst! What a mess. It was operated on TWICE also. Last tine about 10 years ago.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

10. Well... I've had the thing for five years now... n/t

[serryjw]

12. So did I!

The cyct has puss in it. It is burst , the puss will be all over and has to get 'picked' out...it's painful.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Insurance should cover it, but...

a visit to a decent dermatologist shouldn't cost much,

When I had "normal " coverage back in the 80's, a dermatologist popped one out for 250 bucks, including followups. Just walked into the office and had it done. My company gave me a hard time about paying-- it was covered, they just didn't like to write the check, and I quit the job before I ever got paid.

In the 90's, I got another one and had Oxford "managed care." Went to the gatekeeper-- I paid $15, the company paid $50.

Then I got the appointment with the dermatologist. Another $65.

Then I got a call from the dermatologist who said it was too big and a plastic surgon should do it. Back to the gatekeeper and another $65.

$65 to the plastic surgeon, and made an appointment to have it done, (at a lot more than another $65.}

Out of the program before the appointment, and almost 300 bucks down the drain by then.

Eventually went to the VA hospital and had it done for free.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

13. How big was it that the dermatologist wouldn't remove it? n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

16. Actually, there were two...

and they were a little smaller than your average grape by the time they came out.

Pretty damn big for cysts, but I did screw around waiting for insurance coverage and let them grow.

[Lady President]

14. Having a bunch removed Thurs.

I'm having 10+ removed on Thurs. They typically grow in areas where there is a friction caused by clothes. I've had a couple removed near by belly button because the waistband on pants rubbed them. Mine are being covered by insurance because they're around my bra line, so they get sore and bleed. For the most part, if you can wait until you have insurance, your doctor will find a way to get it covered. I go to a dermatologist to have them removed. (Also, if you're prone to any dark spots on your skin, it's good to have a dermatologist do a yearly "mole patrol")

[bleedingheart]

15. I keep begging Mr. B to get a mole patrol done...

and he keeps ignoring me...I think I may need to tranquilize him and drag his ass over to the doc so that I can have some peace of mind...

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

17. Are you saying the doctor will pretend that the cyst

was removed for other non-cosmetic reasons to get insurance to pay for it?

[yellowdogintexas]

20. generally speaking, if it isn't on the face, it pretty much is

non cosmetic.

Besides, as noted above, if is a sebaceous cyst, it has pus in it. Anything with pus in it isn't cosmetic, no matter where it is.

Cosmetic is removing a mole because you don't like the way it looks on your face, as an example.

[Ladybast]

18. deleted

deleted 2-16-05

[SmileyBoy]

19. I got rid of one by myself one time.

It was on my armpit a couple years ago. I had a scalpel, a WHOLE lot of antibiotics and anti-virals, cotton, gauze, etc.

It's actually pretty easy and money-saving if you know what you're doing. You just gotta have a little precision...

[tinfoilinfor2005]

21. yeah, shhhh, me too

above my eyebrow. I've had several removed and I'm a nurse so I did the last one myself. But go to your physician...do as I say, not as I do, LOL.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

22. I think I'd prefer a physician to remove mine...

I just could never cut myself on purpose. I'm too afraid I would mess up and cause bad scaring and infections.

[njdemocrat106]

23. A whole colony of those things grow on me

Mainly on my head. I have gone to have them surgically removed 3 times, but the little buggers keep popping back up. Last time I had them removed (June 2004), I had 7 of them taken off of my scalp. 8 months later, 3 more have popped up on my head. If I shaved myself bald my head would look pretty funky from all the scars. I've also got one on my chest and one on my side (close to my heart. I hope that doesn't mean trouble).