Each week, OMRF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Judith James opens “Adam’s Journal” to answer a medical question from Adam Cohen, OMRF’s senior vice president & general counsel.
Adam’s Journal
A bump recently appeared above my wife’s eye, near the edge of her eyebrow. It grew inflamed and painful, which led to a course of antibiotics. And although the pain and some of the swelling and redness disappeared, the bump didn’t.
An ophthalmologist eventually surgically removed the bump, which he told Mary was a dermoid cyst. What are dermoid cysts, and what causes them?
Dr. James Prescribes
A dermoid cyst is a growth of normal tissue enclosed in an envelope-like container of cells called a sac. They most commonly appear where Mary’s did, near the eye.
We don’t know what, exactly, causes some people to develop dermoid cysts. However, we know that they form when skin layers don’t grow together when they should.
This actually happens during the early stages of fetal development. That means dermoid cysts are present at birth.
So, I’m sure you’re asking, why did it take Mary’s cyst many decades to appear?
Dermoid cysts consist of skin cells, tissues and glands typically found in the skin. These glands can continue to produce fluid, and that fluid – trapped in the sac – causes cysts to grow over time.
Dermoid cysts can also become infected, which can trigger pain and swelling and lead the cyst to burst. It sounds like Mary’s cyst may have become infected and even burst, which would explain why the antibiotics were helpful.
Still, even after an infection has been treated, a dermoid cyst will not go away on its own. Only surgical extraction of the entire sac will remove the cyst.
With some rare exceptions, dermoid cysts are harmless. However, because they can cause complications like infection, damage to nearby bones and nerves, and can be unsightly, people often choose to remove them.
Surgical removal carries a low risk, and patients most often can go home on the same day as the surgery. And now that Mary’s cyst has been removed, there’s nothing further she needs to do. The cyst will not recur, and she shouldn’t be at any greater risk for development of cysts or similar growths anywhere else.
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James is executive vice president and chief medical officer of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. Cohen, a marathoner, is OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel. Send your health questions to contact@omrf.org.
