Surgery for a sebaceous cyst i had a cyst removed from my armpit eight months ago. i have already used some oral antibiotics and a cream (fucidin) as per the directions.but still i can see some white boils on the wound and colour is still red.is this a no

I : I am hoping that I am visualizing your lesions correctly. If i understand correctly, you have red skin with white boils in your arm pit. Do not know if there is swelling, heat, tenderness or discharge. Also do not know if there is a fever. Worst case scenario, am concerned about a possible infection. Please call your doctor, so that this can be better assessed.

What : What your describing sounds like a condition called hidradenitis suppurativa. It is the formation of abscess and pimples, boiles sometimes. There is an infective component but it is actually a severe form of acne. In many instances it requires surgery..In part because of the complex scarring that occurs. What also makes it difficult is that it occurs in areas that are warm, moist and dark (not exposed to the light). It is a difficult situation to treat. Some doctors require people to undergo months of IV antibiotics. I take a slightly different approach. Inflammation is a significant problem...So i attack that first. Doxycycline is a great antibiotic...But it also has amazing anti-inflammatory properties. I do 2-3 months of this. Its a double bang for the buck..Antimicrobial treatment as well as decreasing inflammation. I also recommend hibbiclens. You can get that over the counter. It is a soap. Use it several times a week after your usual soap and then wash it off. It leaves an invisible anti-bacterial coating on your skin and kills off a lot of bacteria. I hope this all helps.

Here : Here is a picture of hidradenitis suppurativa (in the armpit) and well as a brief discussion of a few treatment options.

Go back: Either there was another cyst or the surgery failed to remove it completely. No antibiotic and no cream will have any effect. There is more cyst still there.

There : There may be recurrence if the entire cyst wall has not been removed at the time of the first procedure. Another possible explanation is a condition called hiradenitis suppurativa where multiple lesions appear and usually on both sides. A dermatologist might help.

You : You likely have a retained sebaceous cyst or development of new ones. These are very common in the armpits and other moist areas. My suggestion is you see the physician that removed the first one and see if any more surgery is necessary. Oral antibiotics and creams do little to prevent and treat them.