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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
A pilonidal cyst may cause no noticeable symptoms (asymptomatic). The only sign of its presence may be a small pit on the surface of the skin.
When it's infected, a pilonidal cyst becomes a swollen mass (abscess). Signs and symptoms of an infected pilonidal cyst include:
- Pain
- Localized swelling
- Reddening of the skin
- Drainage of pus or blood from an opening in the skin (pilonidal sinus)
- Foul smell from draining pus
- Hair protruding from a pilonidal sinus
- Fever (uncommon)
A pilonidal sinus may appear as a tract, a passage below the surface of the skin that connects the infected pilonidal cyst to the opening on the skin's surface. More than one sinus tract may form to drain a single infected cyst.
