Pilonidal Disease
Colon and Rectal Surgeon located in Sacramento and Roseville, CA
If you’re one of the 70,000 Americans with pilonidal disease, you can find compassionate care at Sacramento Colon and Rectal Surgery Medical Group. The experienced surgeons treat infections and abscesses that develop when hairs on the buttocks grow deeply into your skin. The surgeons use advanced, minimally invasive techniques to handle even the most complex cases. Call the office in Sacramento, or Roseville, California, to schedule a pilonidal disease consultation, or book an appointment online today.
Pilonidal disease is an infectious condition that affects the gluteal cleft, the space between your buttocks. The condition occurs when body hair embeds in your skin and causes irritation and inflammation. An abnormal pocket of infection (pilonidal cyst) can also form.
More men than women develop pilonidal disease, affecting adolescents and adults from puberty until about age 40.
The experts at Sacramento Colon and Rectal Surgery Medical Group offer comprehensive care for pilonidal disease. Your provider can diagnose the condition quickly, so you can receive the treatment you need to relieve pain and other bothersome symptoms.
You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Sacramento Colon and Rectal Surgery Medical Group if you have symptoms of pilonidal disease that affect the skin in the crease of your buttocks. These symptoms include:
Your Sacramento Colon and Rectal Surgery Medical Group provider can confirm pilonidal disease during a physical exam of your skin. They customize a treatment plan to address the infection and ease any discomfort.
Treatment for pilonidal disease depends on your symptoms. If you have an infection, your provider can prescribe topical or oral antibiotics.
If the embedded hair causes an abscess, your doctor can make an incision to drain the infected pus. In complex cases, you may need surgery to remove the roof of the skin over the pocket of infection to prevent hairs from growing into the skin again.
Your provider also shows you how to care for any incisions, so they fully heal after surgery. You might need to apply topical medications and change your bandages regularly until the wound closes.
Typically, after age 30, your hair shafts begin to thin and soften. This process lowers your risk for additional infections and abscesses. Until that happens, you need to keep skin in the area hair-free by shaving, laser treatments, or hair removal creams.
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Call the Sacramento Colon and Rectal Surgery Medical Group office near you to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for symptoms of pilonidal disease or book an appointment online today.