What could it be?
Many who replied to this post, reported the same problem, i.e. small hole in their skin that oozes white stuff when squeezed. For some, the stuff coming out wasn't white, but of different color and consistency. A few participants described it as a brown paste, while one member said it was black. However, in most cases, the stuff coming out was white and sort of stringy.
The hole is usually located on the back, shoulders, and neck, but it can be present in other parts of the body such as arms, wrists, ears, below the eyes, thighs, testicles, and even on feet. In most cases, the stuff that was squeezed out had a foul smell.
Many were worried that squeezing isn't a good way to deal with this problem.
Please let me know if it's not safe to squeeze and if it will make the condition worse?
Just like with pimples, squeezing and trying to pop is definitely not the best solution and can actually make your skin worse. Many who squeezed and popped the little hole, reported that it again "filled" with white stuff after some time. This recurrent nature suggests that it is not a pimple most likely, but a cyst of some sort. Because of the bad smell, several participants suggested that it was probably just some kind of skin inflammation or infection that involved accumulated sebum, the white stuff that collects in pimples. Also, many reported having this problem for years, even decades.
My husband has had this tiny hole in the same spot for 20 years!
I have had it for over 10 years.
The recurring nature and smelly content most likely suggest a sebaceous cyst, which is basically a backed-up sebaceous gland. It's usually nothing to worry about, as long as the area is not irritated or inflamed causing pain and discomfort, which in some rare cases, may require surgery. Surgery may also be required if cyst continues to grow.
Squeezing the sebaceous cyst will usually cause the smelly stuff to pop out of it, emptying the cyst. However, this is only a temporary solution.
How do I get rid of it?
Talk to your dermatologist who may suggest a solution, which may include surgery, especially if the cyst is inflamed or causes pain.
Several participants reported that they weren't able to squeeze the content out of the hole because after they squeezed it, it kinda hurt. Some also reported that the affected spot was very inflamed and tender. This may suggest a problem other than a sebaceous cyst.
One participant said that he/she was diagnosed with actinomycosis, a rare infectious bacterial disease that causes sores, or abscesses, in the body’s soft tissues. Another member was diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa, a disease that usually begins as pimple-like bumps on the skin. These bumps are often mistaken for pimples, boils, or folliculitis.
Besides squeezing the pimple, the participants also suggested other natural ways to treat it. One claimed that using Apple cider vinegar, turmeric, raw garlic, and coconut oil in larger dosages helped close a pimple.
One participant suggested using talcum powder and rosemary. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) oil has been proven to be effective against P. acnes, a type of bacteria that causes acne. On the other hand, the talc might accumulate and clog the pores causing pimples or worsening them.
Claims verifications
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Try talcum powder and rosemary.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4740760/
What do experts say?
The most likely cause for the problem discussed in this topic is a sebaceous cyst, a slow-growing lump that can move easily under the skin. Medical professionals have suggested that the term sebaceous cyst be avoided since it can be misleading. In practice, however, the term "sebaceous cyst" is still often used to refer to either:
- an epidermoid (epidermal) cyst, which originates from the skin, or
- a pilar (trichilemmal) cyst, which comes from hair follicles.
The problem discussed in this topic refers more to epidermoid cyst than pilar cysts, which usually occurs on the scalp (90% of pilar cysts), unlike epidermoid cyst that usually appear head, neck, and torso, as described in the discussion.
Epidermoid cysts are usually caused by a buildup of keratin - a protein that occurs naturally in skin cells - not sebum, hence, it's wrong to call them sebaceous cysts, which occur rarely. Epidermoid cysts are more likely to develop in people with acne or other skin conditions.
How to recognize epidermoid cyst?
Epidermoid cysts are small, hard lumps that develop under the skin. The lump is usually not painful. In some cases, however, cysts can get inflamed and become tender to the touch. The skin on the area of the cyst in case of inflammation may become red and/or warm.
The three common signs include:
- A small, round lump under the skin, usually on the face, neck or torso
- A tiny blackhead plugging the central opening of the cyst
- A thick, whitish or yellow material that sometimes drains from the cyst and has a foul smell
How are epidermoid cysts diagnosed?
To diagnose epidermoid cysts, a doctor will perform a physical examination of the lump and surrounding skin, as well as take a medical history. In some cases, the doctor may order a biopsy to rule out other skin growths, both benign and malign ones.
How are epidermoid cysts treated?
Most epidermoid cysts either stop growing or go away on their own without treatment. Squeezing out the content of the epidermoid cyst on your own can lead to infection, so it’s best to leave it alone. Moreover, once a cyst is drained, there is a possibility that it will grow back.
Treatment may be required if the cyst becomes infected, painful, red, swollen, or changes in size. In such cases, treatment options may include:
- Antibiotics - Used to treat infection
- Injection - This treatment involves injecting the cyst with a steroid medicine to reduce swelling and inflammation.
- Incision and drainage - The doctor makes a small cut in the cyst and gently squeezes out the contents. This is a fairly quick and easy method, but cysts often recur after this treatment.
- Surgery - Your doctor can decide to remove the entire cyst, usually to prevent cysts from recurring, when it becomes a cosmetic problem, painful, or too big.
Although you can't stop epidermoid cysts from forming, you can help prevent scarring and infection by avoid squeezing it and placing a warm, moist cloth over the area to help the cyst drain and heal.
Very rarely, epidermoid cysts can become cancerous.
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Discussion highlights
The location of the cyst reported
- About 8 years later, I started getting shoulder pains, shooting into my neck.
- I found it on my bf s neck he squees it and a brown paste came out and it was hel smelling.I was shoked.after he squees it all d bump was not there.want to know what was dt much smell.
- Looking to pursue it further after several random pains and aches in my shoulder.
- I saw a tiny whole on ma back but nothing is coming out from it it's clean but sometimes it's paining.
- My mom spotted a hole on my dad's back and she squeezed it and white, stringy stuff come out.
- The hole near my eye is just like a pocket - nothing connected to any veins and the likes.
- After a while, I felt around my shoulder and found a hard, firm patch, near where the pimple lump had been.
- i just got on here because i have one near my wrist.
- I have a strange hole in my foot.
- Hello, A friend of mine has a hole in between the shoulder blades in his back.
- My brother and I get these tiny holes in our skin and seem to look black, I had two on my arm today and when I squeezed it out, white stuff came out and there was some black too.
- I found one of these bumps on my boyfriends back while rubbing his shoulders.
- I have had a little hole in my back for 28 years that after 3 or 4 months can be squeezed and a long stringy white gel substance keeps coming out, sometimes 2 feet long, and has a bad smell to it.
- lol I have the same thing near my right eye!
- Hi my 4 year old girl has one of this holes next to her left ear ever since she was born it has not grown but white stuff does come out so i press it once a week if any one has more info if this grows or goes away id appreciate it
- I have the same thing on the back of my thigh.
- I have one in the back of my neck.
- I have a hole in my testical that is like a pocket and does the same thing comes out like a white string also behind my ear, have had both all my life it looks normal and is hard to notice myself unless under close inspection but it just looks like a pocket of somethingMy mother jokes that the one behind my ear is from being tagged like an animalSo far both have never closed i just forget about them and once in a while give them a squeeze ^.^
- It's in my inner thigh.
- I have one right above my leg and it felt really weird whenever all the white stringy stuff came out I don't know what it is
- Hi I had a white hard bump/ pimple on my forehead and a few days ago it got flat Little so I touched it n picked at it and squeeze it and this white hard stuff come out now I have a lil hole.
- But it was a large lump on the crease of my crotch.
- I gave a small tiny hole in my chest n sometimes some stuff come out of it.
- I have a large hole about the roundness of a pencil in the skin along the bottom of my jaw.
- My dad has some hole on his back that seems not to go away.
- I saw a tiny whole on ma back but nothing is coming out from it it's clean but sometimes it's paining.
- i have the same thing on my right shoulder but its more down between my shoulder and boob area.
- I've had one on my back for YEARS!
The suggested treatments and remedies
- As long as the area will not be irritated there's nothing to worry about but in some rare cases surgery will be needed if the hole causes too much discomfort.
- You can have it surgically removed because it continues to grow.
- It turned out to be a lot bigger deal than I thought .i had to have a couple surgies and 2 years of antibiotics.
- hey all ,i need to suggest all that it dangerous of such holes n stuff coming out of it ,recently my dad checked doctor n doctor did surgery n removed dat total flesh around with it coz doctor said it so much danger as it grow in size day by day n it hard to notice n feel but thx god my dad saved now ,so i request all my frnds here who got such problem go check doctor n do surgery n remove it ,n all get well soon n god bless all of u ,tk cr always :)
- I had surgery on my neck due to an exploded disc that caused issues in my shoulder.
- Thanks God I found this forum, well I got a surgery as I hate the smell a few years ago, well the hole is gone but it starts to grow a bump inside, anybody got a surgery here?
- I've had a small hole in my chest since I was born over the years it does secrete puss when I'm not feeling well I usually expected in the shower and it goes to the small hole again I was told it was a cyst and if it he continued I can have surgery to have it removed but it always leaves a tiny hole that's been there my whole life
- But in some cases it can cause discomfort and infection where the doctors will operate.
- Try talcum powder and rosemary.
- I started taking Apple cider vinegar, turmeric, raw garlic and coconut oil in larger dosages and it closed.
In conclusion
Small hole in the neck, head or torso (usually on the back) that oozes whitish or yellow smelly content when squeezed, usually indicates an epidermoid cyst, also called (inaccurately) sebaceous cyst. This cyst is usually nothing to worry about and it should be left alone, i.e. should not be squeezed to prevent the infection, unless the cyst becomes painful or inflamed, or grows too big, which may require treatment.