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Question: How do I get rid of a cyst?

Answer:

The best way to treat a cyst is to put a warm compress on it several times a day (a tip from my aesthetician). You don’t want to use very hot water, but water at a temperature in between hot and lukewarm water.

What you do is basically soak a clean towel, cotton ball, or sponge in warm water and apply to the cyst until the towel, cotton ball, or sponge loses heat. When it cools off, re-soak in warm water and reapply the compress to the cyst. Keep doing this for as much time as you have and for as many times as you can throughout the day. It can get pretty boring just sitting there holding something to your face, but it’s really worth it because this method will cut a cyst’s lifespan in half.

The warm compress works by killing bacteria and reducing inflammation. My aesthetician says that the heat also helps emulsify the sebum trapped inside your pore so that the cyst will come to a head faster. However, even if the cyst looks like it has a whitehead, it’s still better to not pop it.

Cysts are big and sore to the touch because they are much deeper infections in your skin. You will not be able to successfully drain a cyst without causing even more damage because it has spread through too many layers of your skin. All you can do is apply a warm compress and wait until it shrinks. Sometimes if a cyst has shrunken in size and downgraded to a smaller inflamed pimple with a yellow pus-filled head, it’s okay to extract. However, it’s still best to keep your hands off because if you poke a cyst, it will poke back!

Using warm salt water instead of regular warm water for the warm compress can sometimes bring the cyst to head faster. However, the salt water can be irritating and drying, especially when you use it for so many applications in one sitting. I have also heard that putting baking soda or egg white on a cyst will help draw it out, however, nothing I have ever used has worked as well as a simple warm compress.

Catching cysts or other inflamed pimples when they first form will help them go away faster. If you start using the warm compress method on a cyst that’s just budding, you may even be able to stop it in its tracks. It’s also beneficial to spot treat the cyst several times a day. I like to use Differin or Skinoren, but any spot treatment product will help.

Doing the above should help you resolve a cyst in about 7 to 10 days. However, if you need or want the cyst gone by the next day, head over to your dermatologist to get a cortisone or steroid shot. This will shrink the cyst immediately with lingering redness. You want to be careful when you are getting these kinds of shots because they could cause indentations in your skin.

Cysts are a big pain and hopefully you won’t have too many of them to deal with in the future. But if you do, at least now you know the best way to spot treat a cyst!

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