Sore at Top of Butt Crack

Pilonidal Cysts

Pilonidal cysts usually appears at the very top of the cleft of your buttocks and makes you feel sore at top of butt crack. You experience this situation when your hair punctures your skin and enters it. Sometimes, the cyst becomes infected, which leads to abscess. This is usually quite a painful situation.

Symptoms of Pilonidal Cysts

How do you know that top of butt crack split has something to do with a pilonidal cysts? You need to look for certain symptoms to be sure of what's going on here. You may not notice any symptoms or any pain if the cyst is not yet infected. If an infection develops, you may notice redness of skin, pain over your lower spine, localized swelling, fever, and drainage of pus.

When to See a Doctor

As mentioned, you don't usually need to do anything unless you feel sore at top of butt crack. It is, however, a good idea to see your doctor to confirm if it is a pilonidal cyst that needs to lanced or drained. It sometimes becomes important to drain it because the cyst is actually a boil or abscess. A boil doesn't respond to antibiotics, so it is important to discuss it with your doctor to consider other treatment options.

Causes of Pilonidal Cyst

What causes pilonidal cyst is not yet clear. There are certain theories though. Some experts are of the view that a pilonidal cyst is congenital – it means you have it by birth. This happens due to misplaced embryologic cells in development – it may also happen due to repeat trauma. Other experts are of the view that a pilonidal cyst is the combination of hair and debris (bacteria and dead skin cells). These dead skin cells and hair get trapped into the pores of your skin and form a pock that later becomes an abscess. Since the abscess develops under your skin, it sometimes results in scar tissue, which will become infected repeatedly.

Treatments for Pilonidal Cysts

If your pilonidal cyst is infected, you will have to discuss your treatment options with your doctor. Your doctor will perform a procedure in their office after giving you an injection to numb the area. They will then proceed and make a small incision. They need to do it to drain the cyst. It usually resolves the issue in most cases, but you may sometimes see that cyst recur. If that happens, you will have to undergo a more extensive surgical procedure to have your cyst removed completely.

Your doctor will consider your situation and decide how to proceed after your surgery. They may leave the wound open and just cover it with dressing to ensure your wound heals from the inside out. This may take more time for your wound to heal, but this has a lower risk of a recurring infection. Alternatively, they may choose to close the wound and stitch it to ensure it heals quickly. The problem is that you may experience an infection developing again in the future.

It is important to mention that even though the surgery is not that complicated, how well you recover will depend on wound care. Be sure to discuss everything with your doctor who should give you detailed instructions on how you can change your dressings and how often. They will also explain what normal healing process will work like and when you should call your doctor again.