The last place anyone would want to end up with a cyst is on their nose. Unfortunately, it is possible to have a cyst on your nose bridge, nostril (inside your nose including on your septum), on the tip of the nose or even on your nose creases. What causes them and how can they be managed?
A cyst is a discernible lump filled with fluids. According to healthncare.info, it “consists of a closed sac-like structure filled with semisolid materials, liquid, or gaseous material.” Having one on the nose or any other part of the body can affect anyone.
Epidermoid cysts
Depending on what is causing it, cysts can be painful or painless, inflamed or not inflamed. According to many medical studies, they usually go away on their own without any treatment.
However, some may occur or be associated with severe medical conditions, get infected or won’t go away. Such might need medical attention.
Since some people might not tell whether what they have is just a cyst, lump, bump or swelling, see a dermatologist if you are not sure what it is. Do not ignore unexplained swelling on your body including on your nose.
If you have a cyst on your nose, resist the temptation of popping it as this will make it swell, increase chances of it have been infected and it may be tender to touch.
If infected, obviously you know it will be painful and inflamed. Let a doctor examine it and decide whether he or she is going to drain it or leave it alone to heal on its own.
Since it is a skin condition that signifies a skin infection or rather general health conditions, anybody can get a cyst regardless of the age, race or gender.
Finally, you deserve to know that there are several types that can develop on various parts of the body. However, the most common ones are epidermoid or sebaceous, dermoid, ovarian, polycystic ovary syndrome, Bartholin, labial and mucous cysts among others.
Normally, they are grouped according to their formations, location, and size among other aspects.
Many people usually use the word ‘pimple’ to refer to a cyst and vice versa but, these two bumps are very different. Remember, being able to differentiate between the two is very imperative for treatment purposes.
What is the difference between these two? A cyst occurs majorly due to an infection or clogged sebaceous glands beneath the skin, the other hand, a pimple is a form of acne that occurs when hair follicles get clogged by sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria.
In terms of how they feel to touch them, most cysts are usually soft and tender to touch while pimples can feel hard when touched.
When a cyst is infected, it would develop into an abscess that can be very painful when ruptured or infected. The abscess would leave behind scars that could be very unsightly especially when they appear on the face. A pimple on the other side does not leave behind serious scars unless they develop to other severe forms of acne. A pimple normally clears up on its own without treatments.
Initially, they may not have or show any symptoms. However, as they grow and become huge, they begin to be symptomatic.
The resultant symptoms would vary from individual to another considering their primary causes. Some symptoms would be mild while other would be very severe.
Here are the common symptoms that would accompany cysts on the nose:
These are not the only symptoms you expect to have. There could be others that will be dependent on their primary cause.
In case of severe symptoms or an unknown cause of the cyst, see a doctor for a diagnosis as well as proper treatment. This will reduce the probability of scarring as well as eliminate the possibility that yours are from serious health reason.
Here are the common causes:
Excess production of sebum combined with other factors such as dead skin cells can lead to the clogging of the hair follicle. There are many factors that often encourage the production of excess sebum including stress, hormonal changes, a variation of insulin among other causes.
Hormonal changes are common during pregnancy, puberty, menopause and to some women during their periods. Certain medications can also affect hormones in your body.
For one reason or the other, a damaged or blocked sebaceous gland will lead to the formation of sebaceous cysts. Cell damage in case of a surgery, hereditary factors such as Basal Nevus Syndrome and Gardener’s syndrome are other factors that can cause them.
The bumps or lumps could be a sign of nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer. Other symptoms for this case would including the blocked or congested nose, bleeding nose, and swollen lymph nodes.
Cancer should be treated at their earlier stages before the cancerous cells spread to other parts of the body. See a doctor in case of any lump that does not heal within two weeks.
As already hinted, you can end up with these cysts in the following areas:
Cyst inside nose or nostril
When inside your nose, they can be because of nasal hair removal as well as excessive nose picking. Folliculitis is also among the primary causes. When inside your nose, they tend to be very painful. They are also easily irritated due to the nature of the skin on the nostril.
Also, cyst inside the nose can also occur due to hormonal changes, cancer, clogged pores, irritations, infections or nasal skin injuries.
Treating those inside the nose is challenging unlike those outside your nose. The skin on in this area is susceptible to irritation, take much care when handling it.
On the side of the nose
This area can also develop cysts. They could be soft or hard lumps depending on what causes them. One of the common causes would be milia which tend to affect children but can affect adults too. Beside milia, they could also be due to any of the reasons we have discussed.
Cyst on the nose bridge
The nose bridge is another possible place where you can end up with cysts. Besides the causes we have seen, it can also happen due to ill-fitting glasses that would damage the skin on the on the bridge leading to their formation,
On nose tip
Cysts on the nose tip can be due to any of the reasons we have discussed.
Treatment will usually involve managing the primary cause. The option would also consider the type, its location, and severity.
For minor asymptomatic ones, just let them heal on their own. If they are bothersome but mild, then try the various home remedies to clear them. For severe, ones, including huge cysts on a tip, bridge and inside the nostril, your dermatologists may help you with their treatment.
Here are the frequently used skin cyst treatments:
As we had stated, many of the cysts are painless and harmless. However, some result in some inflammation, swellings, itching, and pain, especially when they have ruptured. Here are some home remedies for a cyst on nose removal.
Even though many of the natural home product is very useful for skin cyst treatment, some would not provide satisfactory results depending on the cause and severity.
Stop using any remedy that worsens the cysts or leads to the appearance of more. Furthermore, you should carry out a patch test to determine which one will not be harmful to your skin.
Cysts on the nose especially those that recur or tend to be very hard to treat need prescribed medication or draining. We recommend that over the counter products only be applied where you know the underlying cause.
Over the counter, products may include cyst creams, lotions, and even cyst soap. Such products contain ingredients such as antihistamines, salicylic acid and more.
To treat big and painful cysts, your dermatologist would drain them using sterilized needle and syringe. He/she may also recommend cortisone injection to shrink some.
For large cysts especially, those that occur due to cancer, the dermatologist would prescribe a surgical removal as well as other cancer treatments. These procedures will help in removing the cancerous cells and thus preventing them from spreading to other parts of the body.
In cases where you are not sure about the underlying cause of the cyst on your nose, we recommend you seek medical help from a qualified and certified medical practitioner especially a dermatologist.
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