Swollen lump..boil? Anyone ever heard of this before?

[claddaghmom]

A mommy from my mommy & me exercise class has become my friend :

Anyhow, she has a 4yo daughter and was telling me about something on her face. It is a swollen area the size of a quarter right in front of her ear. This mama is very crunchy and sees a naturopath. The naturopath told her it is an immature hair follicle or otherwise unformed gland of some sort under the skin. It goes on a cycle and every couple of weeks, the mama is supposed to hold the girl down and 'squeeze' the pus/ball of waxy substance out.

So I just witnessed this the other day and just about puked. I am not seeking medical advice. I guess I'm wondering if anyone has dealt w/ this before or knows what it is b/c IMO after viewing the process I was ready to call CPS. But I don't know if my ignorance is simply causing me to freak out when hearing the screams and I know that if I don't have something educated...the doctor is the better choice to listen to. I talked to the mama calmly afterwards (really hard to do) and asked her what other options there were...apparently the allopathic option is surgery to remove the abscess/skin/growth underneath and she doesn't want to do that b/c of the location.

please help!

[simplehome]

This sounds very much like a sebaceous cyst. I developed one on my face when I was in high school, and ended up having it removed.

The only thing that sounds strange about the situation you describe is that most sebaceous cysts don't have an exit point where you COULD squeeze stuff out, unless they've been ruptured somehow.

I've since learned (after becoming unhappy about the scar that was left, even though it is supposed to be hidden in my smile lines) that an alternate treatment for a sebaceous cysts is to put a warm heating pad on the area for 15 minutes twice a day for week or two. This helps to warm the sebum (that waxy substance you mentioned) making it easier for the body to reabsorb it.

I have to say, though, that even though I wish this scar wasn't there, I had a cyst of similar size, I imagine, and the scar is less than 1/4" long. Actually what bothers me more is that there is a small hole next to it where the site drains a little bit. Maybe they didn't get all of it? I don't know.

This squeezing does sound traumatic! I know that mine didn't hurt, but I imagine it WOULD have hurt had someone squeezed it with all their might!

ETA: maybe if she wants to continue on the squeezing route you could suggest warming the area first----it might make it so she doesn't need to exert as much pressure.

[KimL]

sounds like a nasty cyst. she should have it removed! It's also a painful thing but otherwise MRSA can strike if it's left too long like that. the "cave" in there will just get bigger and bigger.... the doc with make a slit in the skin. most likely remove the entire pestule and then "pack" it. the patient will have to go back a few times to have it repacked until it's small enough to heal on it's own.

[Gitti]

This sounds too traumatic for me. I would never allow anyone to squeeze a cyst repeatedly. Not if it hurts so much that the child screams.

I would try warm, moist compresses with chamomile tea, heating pad, and Vitamin C in high dose for a few weeks to see if the body would absorb it.

If I did not see any result, I would have it lanced since it could get infected if it has to be drained repeatedly. jmho

[lindberg99]

It sounds like some kind of a cyst. My son had a cyst on his cheek that would go through cycles on inflammation. He was 6 yo when it started so not too much older than your friend's DD. I thought it was an infected boil that wouldn't go away so I took him to a dermatologist who diagnosed it as a pilomatrixoma cyst. I chose to get it removed because the dermatologist said it would never go away and it would keep swelling up & could get infected. It was pretty big beneath his skin too.

Oh, just wanted to add that the dermatologist was able to squeeze a little piece of BONE out of my son's cyst. That's how she figured out what it was. So some cysts do have something in them. He does have a little scar from it but I think that's better than a big giant cyst, you know?

[claddaghmom]

Thanks for responding guys! I noticed my CPS sentence seems a little inflammatory, especially in light of what it could be. But it was pretty harsh to listen to her screaming/begging. Apparently she doesn't cry at all when the doctor does it though!

Well it sounds like this isn't anything serious and just a personal choice over whether to cut it or pop it basically so I will butt out.

[KimL]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

Thanks for responding guys! I noticed my CPS sentence seems a little inflammatory, especially in light of what it could be. But it was pretty harsh to listen to her screaming/begging. Apparently she doesn't cry at all when the doctor does it though!

Well it sounds like this isn't anything serious and just a personal choice over whether to cut it or pop it basically so I will butt out.

unless it's mrsa.

[Llyra]

You might mention MRSA, or just staph in general, to this other mama. I would be concerned about that.

[midnightwriter]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

Thanks for responding guys! I noticed my CPS sentence seems a little inflammatory, especially in light of what it could be. But it was pretty harsh to listen to her screaming/begging. Apparently she doesn't cry at all when the doctor does it though!

It seems to me that your distress was mostly because the child was restrained and screaming, not because of the cyst per se?

It is very difficult to evaluate a child's reaction, especially if you don't know that child well, or if a child is older than yours (At least this is what I find, personally). Once my son had a nasty cold and I tried a few drops of breastmilk in his nostrils--you'd think he was being murdered.

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by Llyra

You might mention MRSA, or just staph in general, to this other mama. I would be concerned about that.

I will!

Originally Posted by midnightwriter

It seems to me that your distress was mostly because the child was restrained and screaming, not because of the cyst per se?

It is very difficult to evaluate a child's reaction, especially if you don't know that child well, or if a child is older than yours (At least this is what I find, personally). Once my son had a nasty cold and I tried a few drops of breastmilk in his nostrils--you'd think he was being murdered.

nak
yes it was terrible to listen! but i think you are right.

[david012]

Yes, definitely I had heard about the swollen lump boil. Initially, it reddens and the grows into swollen lump boil. To cure them, you can go for homeopathic remedies which is among the most effective one. It cures the boils and prevents them from recurring. However, there are many treatments available but all of them do not prove to be useful one. But among them homeopathic for boils are the best you can go for.  

[GoBecGo]

My DD screamed yesterday when i was peeling the bazuka dressing off her verucca.  She later admitted it was completely painless, but "thinking about you doing it was sore".  She's 4.  I think when you're 4 you're so little your fears can easily dwarf you.