Cysts and Hair Loss

Most people wrongly think that cysts will not affect your hair. Some people with cysts on their scalp will even leave it there for years even when the tell tale signs of coming hair loss are present. For the record we have to state that almost all types of cysts, be it cancerous or not will eventually cause hair loss if it is not managed or used properly.

The most common type of cyst that happens on the scalp are sebaceous cysts which are almost always non cancerous. The cysts form with a closed sac just below the surface of the skin and is covered with a lining that looks very similar to the upper infundibulum of a hair follicle. Some people mistaken it to be an inflammation of the hair follicle which in an entirely different thing. The sac is filled with a white oily substance called sebum. The cyst will cause an overproduction of the sebum by glands under skin.

These types of cysts generally only ever appear in harrier areas such as the chest of the scalp and form in the method that we have described earlier. There are however instances where the cyst can get infected especially if someone start poking around it with knives or pins in order to try remove it without the care of a medical specialist.

The nature of the contents of a sebaceous cyst, and of its surrounding capsule, will be determined by whether the cyst has ever been infected. The best option for cyst removal is to have it looked at by a medical specialist. People tend to like sorting out their own problems but this is on problem that should not be solved by yourself. There are many dangers when it comes to cutting out a cyst which far outweighs the cost of having a doctor do it for you. When the cyst is completely removed along with the sac then it is very that it will reoccur. Unfortunately if you are predisposed to the development of cysts then it is possible that cysts will form in the same hairy areas.

The main cause of a cyst is either gland blockages which makes it impossible for the sebum so come up to the skin. Sometimes hair follicles also get swollen and also block the pathways and may also cause cysts to form. Most of the time the development of cysts are linked to an overproduction of testosterone. The increased testosterone will increase the amount of oil produced by the skin cause blockages to form. Sebaceous cysts generally do not require medical treatment. However, if they continue to grow, they may become unsightly, painful, infected, or all of the above.

When it comes to hair loss, most of the time it only happens at the later stages of cyst development where the hair follicle is effectively squeezed to death by the cyst and the hairs around the area start to all off. It is important to realize when a cyst is present and deal with it before it gets too big and causes hair loss.