Symptoms
When it’s infected, a pilonidal cyst becomes a swollen mass (abscess). Signs and symptoms of an infected pilonidal cyst include:
Pain
Reddening of the skin
Drainage of pus or blood from an opening in the skin
Foul smell from draining pus
In some mild cases of pilonidal cysts, you can use some natural home remedies for pilonidal cysts in minimizing the occurrence and heal the cysts more quickly using the pilonidal cyst natural treatment.
Natural Home Remedies for Pilonidal Cysts
Garlic
Garlic deserves to top the list when it comes to the natural healing of pilonidal cysts because it is a powerhouse of antibiotics and antifungal properties. When consumed internally, garlic is a power immunity booster, assisting our body in fighting infection and encouraging the healing process.
How to apply:
Crush 1 or 2 cloves of garlic into a fine paste and apply directly to the infected area. Cover it with a bandage for a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly with water. You can repeat this process for a few days.
Add 2 or 3 cloves of garlic to your daily diet to improve the immune system
Tea Tree Oil
Certain essential oils for pilonidal cyst work great. For example, tea tree oil is a great essential oil for pilonidal cysts. It’s packed with antifungal, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, tea tree oil is proved to be able to shrink down the cyst and reduce inflammation. I just had a friend who had a pilonidal cyst. I told them to use tea tree oil and they did. The next day after only using it for one day the pilonidal cyst shrunk in size by 50 percent.
How to apply:
The simplest way is to use a dropper to directly apply tea tree oil to the cyst.
Or you can dilute tea tree oil with water then use cotton to keep it pressed on the cyst for 10 minutes before rinsing and drying. It’s safe to repeat this action 3 to 4 times a day.
Epsom Salt
Epsom salt is another simple yet effective remedy to treat pilonidal cysts. Salt helps draw out toxins or liquid from the cyst and shrink it down considerably. Adding Epsom salt to your bathtub and relaxing for 15 minutes can really reduce pain and avoid further irritation and inflammation caused by pilonidal cysts.
Black Tea
Black tea with its acidic properties is a natural healer of pilonidal cysts, keeping the infection at bay. Its anti-inflammatory nature is also a good source of pain and swelling relief.
How to use:
Dip a black tea bag in hot water for a few minutes, then squeeze the excess water from the tea bag and hold it over the infected area for 10 minutes. You can do this several times a day.
Turmeric
Turmeric is well-known for one powerful compound – curcumin which is extremely effective in healing and infection prevention. Besides, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties found abundantly in turmeric also provide relief of pain and drain out extra liquid from the cysts.
How to apply:
Add a few drops of water to 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder to make a fine paste.
Smear the paste to the infected area and rinse with warm water after the pus dries out
Aloe Vera
Many people have been counting on Aloe Vera to cure skin-related conditions thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents. So no wonder Aloe Vera is trusted to assist in the natural healing process and infection avoidance of pilonidal cysts.
How to apply:
The first method is to directly rub the flesh of fresh Aloe Vera into the infected area and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes before washing with warm water.
Another option is to use a cotton ball soaked with Aloe Vera gel and cover the infected area well with that. You also leave it for 5-10 minutes then rinse it off with lukewarm water.
It is safe to use Aloe Vera several times a day.
Good Hygiene
As obvious as it sounds, it is very important to maintain good hygiene if you want to get rid of pilonidal cysts and prevent the cyst from spreading. Please note that you should not try any creams or gels without a doctor’s consultation, a high chance you can irritate the inflammation further.
Apple Cider Vinegar
This amazing, multifunctional liquid is the next guide to the natural healing of pilonidal cysts. Being acidic by nature means apple cider vinegar is able to balance the pH level of the skin, kill the bacteria, and effectively remove toxins from the cysts.
How to use:
You can dip a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and keep it on the cyst for 5 to 10 minutes.
Or wash the infected area with the vinegar twice a da
Healthy Diet
When you consider your diet, please remember what you eat also makes an impact on the healing process. Pilonidal is likely to spread when your immune system is weak, so eat healthy foods that strengthen the immune system such as vegetables, fruits that are rich in vitamin A and C, nuts, yogurt, garlic, and ginger, etc.
This article hopes to show you there are easy to make natural home remedies for pilonidal cyst that you can do, with simple and available ingredients, to treat pilonidal cysts effectively.
Pilonidal Cyst Causes
The exact cause of pilonidal cysts isn’t clear. But most pilonidal cysts appear to be caused by loose hairs that penetrate the skin. Friction and pressure — skin rubbing against skin, tight clothing, bicycling, long periods of sitting, or similar factors — force the hair down into the skin. Responding to the hair as a foreign substance, the body creates a cyst around the hair.
This explanation accounts for rare cases of pilonidal cysts that occur in parts of the body other than near the tailbone.
These pilonidal cysts cause you nothing but an inconvenience. At first, you might not feel any noticeable symptoms except a dimple-like depression in your tailbone or coccyx area. However, when it becomes infected, you can suffer from pains, redness and swelling, pus, or blood draining from the abscess, foul smell. In some serious cases, the infection spreads and walking and sitting would be more difficult than it should be, A doctor should be consulted. Surgeries and prolonged treatment are needed in order to prevent infection and reduce the size of the cyst if you have severely infected cyst.