i just noticed what feels like a slight divot slightly below my tailbone/above my crack. it’s red/there’s a red line through it. i am stressed about this i have no pain and it is definitely new i would have noticed this before. picture wouldn’t do much as the divot isn’t noticeable just the redness. please someone quell my worries as im in college and can’t really be dealing with this potential right now :( :( :(

Is it true that if you hit the area, a pilonidal cyst can grow again?

A friend said that his pilonidal wound healed after surgery but it came back after he hit the area.

I did my operation on August 5th, and at the moment I am using Betadine spray for the very last bit of healing. However this morning I hit it with a handle, and I'm freaking out. It doesn't hurt but I think it feels weird. I have health OCD so I'm freaking out 😭

My surgery was an open wound surgery if it matters.

Long term PS sufferer, 30 female UK. I've had 8 incision and drainages, the last being september last year.

This year for the first time ever the infection... burst. A lot of infection came out and it was gnarly. I called 111 who said a&e immediately. They referred me to surgical assessment unit but without even looking they said if its been burst they wont operate.

The advice was, go home, take coamoxiclav, keep pads on area to absorb the pus.

In the past the inside cavity has been around 6 x 7cm deep. This time it hurt for about a week before it popped through the scarring of my previous surgery.

But i can feel that it wasnt a small area and know not all the pus will be out. Realistically they need to open, wash, and heal by secondary intention??

I feel like they sent me home cos nhs underfunded and no real emergency, but if the current infection is gonna come back bigger, or spread.. thats an emergency to me.

I asked if I could appeal her decision and she basically said they just will not operate. I have gone to my gp who said keep an eye incase it gets worse but let it drain naturally.

If it drains naturally, a collection of pus may stay and get worse or deeper or even turn into another infection...

Im so frustrated and frazzled, everyone's telling me to get the cleft lift as if that doesnt come with its own risks.

Has anyone had theirs pop, and then just heal and not get bad sgain within a few months? What do I expect from this? Do I just need to have a leaky back for the foreseeable future now???

Most importantly by following nhs advice of just clean and cover it and take co amoxiclav, am I putting myself in more danger/ damaging my sinus/ skin even more, or is it genuinly the correct way forward?

Did a lazer surgery on my pilonidal cyst

Though my doctor didn't tell me anything about aftercare or how/what to do for wound dressing

Idk what to do in this case right now, do I change the dressings daily? And should I apply stuff to it? Like Betadine or smth else

I’m a figure skater and over all active person and am almost to the point post cleft lift when I can start working out again, but I’m scared of getting back to stretching specifically. I know I’m almost healed but I don’t want anything to like… pop open? Does anyone have any experience getting back to physical activity/stretching/yoga after getting the cleft lift?

Had cleft lift surgery in Maryland 1.5 months ago and there is an ongoing opening in my incision 🫠

Looking for recommendations for surgeons in the Maryland area or general East coast area. Would like a second opinion as I’m not thrilled with my current surgeon. Thanks!

23 male, down 30 kg, healthier lifestyle
How bad are abscesses?
I’m fully asymptomatic with pits and could use some guidance
How bad would an abscess be if I deal with it early? And how long is the usual down time between reoccurrences?
Is an abscess super difficult deal with after draining it? And what are the chances that it won’t heal?

Three weeks after the Cleft Lift, part of the scar looks like the one in the photo; the skin is very dry and flaky. Is this part of the normal healing process?

I had my first surgery yesterday with Dr Wadie, I went with a CL after experiencing my first I&D 8 weeks ago that never healed. I was dreading it and am still freaked out about how this is going to look once the dressing comes off. I didn’t even know I had a pilondial cyst until two months ago, so it was a surprise when it turned into a huge surgical operation.

I’m a 25 year old single female, so I’m sure you can imagine I would have wanted this money spent perhaps enhancing my butt, not disfiguring it.

Day 2 has been pretty bad. My insurance wouldn’t approve my oxycodone so I haven’t been sleeping and am in a good amount of pain. No position is very comfortable. Im too afraid to take a bowel movement. And I’m all around feeling pretty bad.

I’m also worried about activities. I am big into yoga and Pilates so I not only stretch my legs and glutes, but I often contort them. I’m so worried I won’t be able to do yoga the way I have been able to again.

As for scaring, does scar tape work to help lessen the visibility? Does the area need to be massaged or does sitting and the pressure on the area help? I just want to get back to normal ASAP.

Would love any stories from others and especially other young women that went through this.

I’m a 20m and I think I have one

I’ve had this small bump on the usual area, for about 2 months now, but it only hurts when I sit directly on it or press etc, but from what I can tell I have no openings, no puss or bleeds or whatnot just pain and bump there

But I have no insurance, I was just off of getting it from my job, but I got injured for about 2 months so I wasn’t able to be qualified this year, is there anything I can do help with the insurance or just to see if this is a pilondial cyst

I’ve seen these stories and it’s not bad rn, but I don’t want it to get worse, but ik with Americas healthcare rn it’s gonna be an arm and a buttcheek

My surgery consultation is Friday 10/16. I’m nervous but excited to finally and hopefully get the relief I want and I would like to know what is everyone using during their recovery period to make things easier? (Idk which surgery I’ll be getting yet but based on discussion with my primary doctor I will NOT need the gaping hole)

Im asymptomatic with pits, and can’t do CL until later next year, so I wanted to know if I the worst thing that can happen with me is an abcess that requires incision and drainage? Because I’m willing to suffer through those until I can do CL with a top professional in the US later on.
I would just like to know if an abcess is the worst that can happen till then, or if there is something worse that I could possibly progress to.

Hi all! I had a pilonidal cyst excision surgery (it was a sinus I guess? Please forgive my inability to recall) my freshman year of college at 19. I have had flare ups every now and then where it hurts and a bit of blood comes out but it always resolves itself with at home care. I am 24 now and am dealing with some TERRIBLE pain around the excision site, more than I’ve ever dealt with even before surgery. Usually during my flares the pain is not terrible and the area looks red and inflamed. Right now my pain is HORRIBLE and the area looks unbothered and like nothing is happening. I did just recover from the flu and was in bed for like 4 days straight which I know can cause flares. I need advice on what to do :/ I have an appointment at urgent care but am scared that they are not going to treat it properly. I would deeply deeply appreciate any advice!!! Thank you so much!!!!!

How bad is an abcess
23, male, have pits, very small, otherwise asymptomatic, not pain, redness, or previous infection or abcess, no bleeding no pus, found my pits completely on accident, but first noticed them like 5 years back.
Went to PTCNJ recently to discuss it with the doctor, he was very insightful about what we can do, but sadly I won’t be able to do anything until maybe a year or two from now, since I won’t be in the US for that period.
(If shit gets bad enough I’ll book a flight and do CL)
I was thinking, worst case scenario is an abccess right? So how bad is it? Like if I get one, I need to do an I&D after taking some lidocaine, then I need to do gauze/packing right? How bad is it, and how bad is the packing and gauze, and how difficult is it to live and move around after the I&D?
If I am to do something about it (minimally invasive or CL) that will have to wait for a year or so. Also, any idea how much time I get between reoccurrences if I develop an abcess? Or is it different from person to person?
Ps: my cousin has it, he has massive pits, he almost 40 but never had an issue with it. Not sure if any other family members have it

Forewarning, this might be a bit of a rant because I’m incredibly frustrated with this right now. I first felt a lump at the top of my buttock cleft sometime in 2023-ish, never had any pain unless a lot of pressure was applied to it. I ignored it until it began to produce puss. Made a GP appointment and got a referral written so I could go via private healthcare through work. Had a EPSIT surgery done in Mid 2025 and was over the moon I didn’t have to worry anymore, I kept the hair in the area trimmed very short, all was well. Until about three months later I felt the same lump again. Went back to the same surgeon and he said he couldn’t feel anything. I thought because I still had no pain, I could just continue with my life and keep an eye on it, not ideal but whatever. The wound ended up opening again, small hole where the surgery was done, the tract hadn’t healed properly. Back to the surgeon and he said another surgery was needed. Same again, but with this time a laser was used to manually seal the tract to prevent reoccurrence. That was in February 2026. Continuing to keep the area shaved and clean, I’ve felt another lump, same feeling in the same place and 3 very small holes in the area (assuming these are pilonidal pits).

I honestly feel so confused and sad about this, do I just need to accept that I’m going to keep getting these?

Hey,
I had my silac surgery for the sinus back in march this year. After traumatising experience the wound has closed up and then opened again around June/july. After that it has closed off again and hasn’t annoyed me since until yesterday when a small hole opened again.
Do you think it could be reoccurrence ? I went to a surgeon who has done the procedure and told me to sign up for laser hair removal. Up until now i have been doing it with some machine at home. Do you reckon the laser removal will help ?
There is no pain or no blood or liquid that came out of it

Howdy guys!

I noticed today that a small amount of blood and puss came out of the area where my pilonidal sinuses are. I had surgery for them 2 years ago and the wound was left open to heal. The recovery was really painful with all the packing and the laser hair removal that I tried after didn't really seem to work. Today is the first day I saw some sort of discharge in the area but I have been feeling sore down there for a day or two now. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do in this situation? I know i will probably have to go to surgery to get it removed again, but if possible I would like to avoid the miserable packing with gauze that I had to endure.

Thank you very much in advance

Ive had what I assume to be a pilonidal abscess form on my tailbone over the course of 2 days. The pain is pretty gnarly but I can still walk around and sit when shifting my weight away from my tailbone and drive my shaping some clothes in to a donut and sitting on that. Does this level of growth and pain warrant a trip to the ER or is natural drainage fine? It is pretty large as well would this be too late for antibiotics?

Hi all! Just wanted to share my story about my cleft lift with Dr. Wadie earlier today :) I came out of surgery a bit ago and am feeling super woozy and all over the place haha. It was pretty crazy, one minute I was getting something put in my IV and the next I was waking up and asking if it was done! I’ll try and update daily to give others an idea of how it tends to go.

As a note, I’ve had pilonidal disease for a few months. This was my first (and hopefully only) surgery and Dr. Wadie said that my case was mild. They were in and out of there in 40 minutes! I’m laying on my back as I type this, feeling some soreness but nowhere near as bad as any of the flare ups I’ve had. My drain does not have anything in it yet either which feels kind of crazy! Not sure if anyone else has had any experience with this.

Pain is about a 3/10 for the first day! Not bad at all. I’m hoping I’ll have more updates as the days go on. I’ll be flying back to Canada in two days which will be a bit nerve wracking, but hopefully will go well!

Day 1 (Edit): Pain is still manageable but is 5/10 after a nap. Strangely enough, sitting hurts less than laying down. Most of the pain is near the drain site so I’m wondering if it’s draining properly. I may ask Dr. Wadie to check tomorrow if he’s around!

Day 2: Had my follow-up with Dr. Wadie and he said everything looks good! I drained 7mL on my first day but he says it’ll probably increase a bit over the week and there are no issues in the drain so I likely just don’t have much fluid. Weirdly enough, I have very little pain when sitting and can sit comfortably for an hour or two (probably even longer), not sure if the local anaesthetic is still doing its job haha. Haven’t taken any of the narcotics yet since I don’t feel any need for them at all, Tylenol + Ibuprofen have been enough to keep my pain at around 0-1/10. I get slight twinges of pain when laying and shifting positions near the drain but that’s it! Will update more tomorrow as I’m flying back then :) Going to do some shopping today since I feel pretty good walking around and want to be a bit more active!

Day 3: I think my local anaesthetic wore off because today was probably the most painful day! Pain was at around 6/10 near the drain, and a tight feeling around the incision but not much pain around the incision itself. I ended up taking one of the narcotics before my flight and used an ergonomic pillow and I was pretty pain-free, but if I had to do it again, I’d either leave sooner or later. Also had my first BM and it was scary but ended up being ok! I’m finally home and am about to take a sponge bath/shower since I feel pretty gross, but am not in much pain anymore :) I am somewhat paranoid about tearing my stitches or getting a wound separation, but have not gotten the chance to check yet. Will probably find out once the gauze is off, but I’m hoping things are good!

Ive been down with bad tailbone pain, as many of you well know, and walking and sitting to go toilet has become harder and harder. I am now in tears when I try to walk and Ibupforen and cocodamol aren't really touching it.

I have been prescribed antibiotics but I cant get to pharmacy to get them.. I literally struggle walking to the kitchen..

Theres no one that can get them for me for a few days from pharmacy and I worry by then it will be too late??

I usually get a bump where infection is but this time theres no bump just general swelling and pain in the whole area. Is it possible its infected but tunneling inward than out, to make a bump?

My temp is normal and no chills, but plenty of nausea tho I think its due to anxiety and worry of having to go in for another op that will have me down for 4 months..

This is becoming traumatic guys and I dunno wtf to do, I cant get to gp for them to check, its not emergency enough for a&e or ambulance (anyone who knows the nhs will know unless theres something they can do for an emergency they often send u home with painkillers, hope, and instructions to come back if it gets worse.

Im frazzled now and dunno what to do - the pain has got steadily worse but no visible changes other than swelling and a new red patch on my skin where all other i&d were done.. is this indicative of infection?

I have had inflammation before which has died down by itself after few days but this is something more severe than inflammation

finally figured out this bump i have is a pilonidal cyst after multiple years. seeing a GP on friday to hopefully get a surgical referral. i’m a little worried about the recovery as im a college student and am hoping to get it removed over Christmas break. anyone have any encouraging words or an idea of what i could be in for?

I’m currently almost 5 weeks post op of my cleft lift and developed a blood blister. I called my surgeon and I see her Friday but the pain from it just got rly bad. Like can’t even sit on the toilet level bad. I have no pain besides some tailbone soreness when sitting other than this. I’m just sooo over this surgery recovery and wanna feel normal so bad it’s driving me insane. Has anyone else had a blood blister after CL?

I am 3 weeks post c section and ended up with my first cyst I’m assuming from how much I’ve been sitting between recovery and breastfeeding. I went to urgent care and they prescribed antibiotics and warm compresses in hopes it would pop. Well I sat on a warm compress every time I fed my newborn and it ended up popping overnight the same day. Now I have a gaping hole. What do I do? I can’t take a bath because of just giving birth. Do I just hope it heals? Or should I go back to a dr? Pic of my gaping hole attached..😫