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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Epidermoid cysts are small bumps that develop just beneath the skin on your face, neck, trunk and sometimes your genital area. They are slow-growing and often painless. Although many people refer to epidermoid cysts as sebaceous cysts, true sebaceous cysts are much less common than epidermoid cysts are.
Most epidermoid cysts don't cause problems or need treatment. But if they're a cosmetic concern or they rupture or become infected, they're usually surgically removed.
Epidermoid cysts are almost always noncancerous, but in rare cases, they can give rise to skin cancers. Because this occurs so seldom, epidermoid cysts usually aren't biopsied unless they have unusual characteristics that suggest a more serious problem.
Symptoms- Lynch PJ. Vulvar neoplasms and cysts. In: Black M, et al. Obstetric and Gynecologic Dermatology. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3445-0..10023-2--s0020&uniq=130671532&isbn=978-0-7234-3445-0&sid=827482137#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3445-0..10023-2%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-7234-3445-0. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Benign neoplasms of the skin. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Epidermal cysts. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec10/ch127/ch127c.html. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Benign skin tumors. In: Habif TP. Habif: Clinical Dermatology. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130671532-17/0/1195/141.html?tocnode=51442353&fromURL=141.html. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Epithelial cysts and sinuses. In: James WD, et al. Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-2921-6..50033-0--cesec136&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-2921-6..50033-0--cesec137&uniq=130671532&isbn=978-0-7216-2921-6&sid=827486768#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-2921-6..50033-0--cesec136%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-7216-2921-6. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Pisharodi L, et al. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy. In: Gnepp DR. A Diagnostic Surgical Pathology of the Head and Neck. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2589-4..00015-2--s0360&uniq=130671532&isbn=978-1-4160-2589-4&sid=827488065#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2589-4..00015-2%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-1-4160-2589-4. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Dermatologic procedures. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Penneys NS, et al. Common benign cutaneous growths: Seborrheic keratoses, cherry hemangiomas, and epidermoid cysts. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/education/students/benign_cutan_growths.htm. Accessed April 9, 2009.
- Gibson LE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 16, 2009.
