- Dr. Kuzel
- Treatments
- Conditions
- Calgary South
- Articles
- (403) 286-6888
- Contact Us
Book a consultation
A lump under the skin is usually a lipoma, a soft capsule of fat, or a cyst, a sac with a wall that fills with keratin. Both are benign and both are removed whole through a small incision under local anaesthetic, in a single visit, so they do not come back. At Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, Dr. Paul Kuzel, a board-certified dermatologist, confirms what the lump is before removing it, sends it to pathology, and closes the wound for the finest scar the site allows.
The two lumps feel different, behave differently and are removed differently. Telling them apart is the first step.
Excision is the definitive treatment. An inflamed cyst is calmed first and removed later.
A red, tender, swollen cyst is injected to settle the inflammation. Excision follows six to eight weeks later, when the wall can be removed cleanly.
An abscessed cyst is drained and treated with antibiotics for relief. Drainage does not remove the wall, so the cyst is excised once it has healed.
Boils, cysts and styesA small lipoma or cyst that does not bother you and has been diagnosed with confidence needs no procedure. Dr. Kuzel says so when that is the answer.
A deep, fast-growing, fixed or painful lump is imaged before surgery and, if it is not a simple lipoma, referred. Rare, but the reason every lump is examined first.
Most lumps are what they seem. The training is in knowing which are not, and in removing the rest with the smallest scar.
Lumps under the skin, anywhere on the body.
Single or multiple, small or large. Removed when growing, tender, or unwanted, through an incision smaller than the lump.
The commonest cyst, on the face, neck and trunk. Removed with the wall intact after any inflammation has settled.
Boils, cysts and styesFirm scalp cysts, often several, shelled out through a small incision with the hair left in place.
A boil that recurs at the same site often has a cyst beneath it. Once the infection has settled, the cyst is excised so it does not come back.
Boils, cysts and styesFirm lumps in the skin rather than beneath it are removed by lesion excision.
Lesion excisionsBlocked eyelid glands are treated medically first and drained or excised when they persist.
Boils, cysts and styesMost lipomas and cysts are removed at the first or second visit and take twenty to forty-five minutes.
The cavity left by a lump wants to fill with fluid. A firm dressing for two days prevents that.
Removal of a symptomatic, inflamed, infected or growing lump is medical and covered by Alberta Health Care with a referral. Removal of a small, quiet lump for appearance is cosmetic and priced per lesion, quoted at consultation.
Referrals by fax to (403) 225-2914. Call (403) 286-6888 for current pricing.
A lipoma removed with its capsule, or a cyst removed with its wall, does not return at that site. New lipomas or cysts can appear elsewhere in people who are prone to them, and are removed the same way.
The scar is a fine line shorter than the lump was wide, pink for a few months and pale by a year. Where a large lipoma has stretched the skin, a small dip or laxity can remain and usually settles over months.
A cyst excised while inflamed has a higher recurrence rate and a worse scar, which is why an inflamed cyst is calmed first and removed later.
Medical removal is covered by Alberta Health Care with a referral. Cosmetic removal is priced per lesion by size and site and quoted at consultation. Call (403) 286-6888 for current pricing.
A lipoma is soft, rubbery and mobile, usually on the trunk or limbs. A cyst is firmer, often has a central pore, and can inflame. Dr. Kuzel confirms the diagnosis at consultation and images anything atypical.
Squeezing a cyst empties it temporarily and often inflames it. Drainage relieves an abscess but leaves the wall, so the cyst returns. Only excision with the wall is permanent.
It is injected or drained first to settle the inflammation, then excised six to eight weeks later. Operating on an inflamed cyst gives a worse scar and a higher recurrence rate.
The anaesthetic injection stings briefly. The procedure is painless. The site is sore for a day or two afterward and simple analgesics are enough.
Shorter than the lump was wide, as a fine line along a natural skin fold. A large lipoma can leave a small dip that settles over months.
Not at that site when removed whole. New lumps can form elsewhere in people who are prone to them.
Yes. Every specimen is examined, and Dr. Kuzel reviews the report with you.
For medical removal, a referral from your family physician allows Alberta Health Care to cover it. For cosmetic removal, no referral is needed.
Dr. Paul Kuzel, MD FRCPC, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and Medical Director of Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South, examines every lump and performs every removal personally. He sees patients in English and Czech.
Grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Book a consultation with Dr. Kuzel. A referral covers medical removal; none is needed for cosmetic removal.
Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South
10201 Southport Rd SW #102
Calgary, AB T2W 4X9
Two blocks west of the Delta Hotel
(403) 286-6888
Referrals by fax: (403) 225-2914
Open seven days a week, with early mornings and evenings on weekdays.
Take the first step toward achieving healthy, radiant, and flawless skin. Contact Rejuvenation Medical Aesthetics today to schedule your personalized consultation and explore the advanced treatments tailored to your unique needs.
