Dawaa Reference

Clinical reference

Epidermoid or pilar cyst

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

Epidermoid Cyst - StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf NBK499974) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499974/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class SD74.00 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Verified against1 document
  • No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (2)

  • Pilar (trichilemmal) cysts are usually painless unless they calcify or rupture, causing inflammation and pain [cyst]
  • Pressure from an enlarging cyst or an underlying bony prominence can also cause pain [cyst]

Signs — what you find (3)

  • These cysts occur mainly on hair-bearing skin, most often the scalp, and also the face and neck [cyst]
  • They typically present as flesh-colored, smooth, mobile, firm, well-circumscribed nodules, often multiple
  • Rapid growth of a previously slow-growing cyst raises concern for infection or malignant transformation [cyst]

Tests (3)

  • Diagnosis is mainly clinical, and further investigation is rarely needed
  • Imaging may be needed for midline head and neck lesions to check for central nervous system involvement
  • CT best shows the extent of bone invasion, while MRI is preferred for deeper soft-tissue extension

If not this — what else fits (7)

  • Acne keloidalis nuchae
  • Cutaneous lipoma
  • Dermoid cyst
  • Epidermal inclusion cyst
  • Favre-Racouchot syndrome, which combines nodular elastosis with cysts and comedones
  • Pilomatrixoma
  • Steatocystoma multiplex

SourceStatPearls "Pilar Cyst" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

Common benign skin/scalp cysts; primary care recognises them, treats secondary infection if present, and refers for elective surgical excision. - Refer, with advice

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Why

Common benign skin/scalp cysts; primary care recognises them, treats secondary infection if present, and refers for elective surgical excision.

Cautions
  • A rapidly enlarging, painful, or discharging cyst suggests infection or abscess needing incision and drainage or antibiotics.
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
  • RED FLAG - Rapid increase in size (as opposed to the usual slow growth) suggests infection or malignant transformation and warrants more than routine elective referral.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.