Recently (as of march 1999), a message was posted at my forum by a person wondering what a sebaceous cyst was. It is a fairly common appearance, so I thought it might be a good idea to make this a generally viewable answer.

A sebaceous cyst is also know as a vulvar cyst, pilar cyst, or epidermoid cyst. It a closed sac of fluid or semi-solid oil and protein fragments usually located in the labia or vulva. They are caused by the blockage of the sebaceous glands in the areas of the cyst. They are fairly common and usually benign. In the vulva, they tend to remain small. To the touch, they are round and nontender. If drained, popped or squeezed, the material gives off quite a stink.

Sebaceous cysts are generally ignored unless they grow too large or infected. In this case, they are drained. If an infection persists, an antibiotic is sometimes prescribed. Reoccurrence is common.