CYST REMOVAL
The whole sac removed by a consultant plastic surgeon, not just drained. £795, including your assessment and the removal.
A skin cyst is a sac lined with cells that continually produce its contents. Removal means excising the entire sac, because draining a cyst leaves the sac behind and it refills.
A drained cyst comes back. A removed cyst does not. That single difference is the whole reason this is a surgical procedure rather than a needle. Squeezing or draining a cyst empties it and leaves the sac behind, and the sac is the thing that makes more cyst. We take the sac out intact, under local anaesthetic, in a minor operations theatre. Where the cyst is settled and suitable, we can assess and remove it in the same visit, and you walk out the same day. All procedures on this page are for adults aged 18 and over.
- CONSULTANT PLASTIC SURGEON
- THE WHOLE SAC REMOVED
- £795, ASSESSMENT AND REMOVAL
- LOCAL ANAESTHETIC
- SEE AND TREAT
- CQC REGISTERED
Why a cyst needs removing, not draining
A cyst is a sac lined with cells that keep producing the contents. Empty it and you have an empty sac. Leave the sac and it fills again.
This is why people end up having the same cyst dealt with three times. Draining is quick, satisfying and cheap, and it works for a few weeks. It is not a treatment, it is a postponement.
It can also make the eventual removal harder. Squeezing a cyst, or letting one become infected and burst, causes scarring around the sac that binds it to the surrounding tissue. A cyst that has been repeatedly drained is a more difficult operation with a worse scar than the same cyst removed cleanly first time. If yours has been drained before, tell us, because it changes the plan.
Types of cyst we remove
Most of the cysts we remove are one of three kinds, and the principle is the same for all of them: the sac has to come out whole.
- Sebaceous and epidermoid cysts, the common skin cysts, on the face, neck, back or trunk. These are what most people mean by a cyst.
- Pilar cysts, which form on the scalp and often run in families. We remove scalp cysts by working around the hair, without shaving your head.
- Less commonly, dermoid and other benign cysts.
When should you get a cyst seen?
Most cysts are harmless and you can live with them indefinitely. Some are worth dealing with sooner.
- It is getting bigger, or it has grown noticeably in a few months.
- It is sore, red, or hot, which suggests it is inflamed or infected.
- It has burst or discharged because that scars the sac down and makes later removal harder.
- It is somewhere it catches, such as a waistband, a bra strap, or a collar.
- It is on your face or scalp, where a clean removal gives a far better result than one done after it bursts.
- You are not sure it is a cyst. Not every lump under the skin is one, and that is worth establishing.
An infected cyst is usually treated first and removed later, because operating through inflamed tissue gives a poorer result. We will tell you which stage yours is at.
Your cyst removal journey, step by step
Step 1
Book a Consultation
Online or by phone. No referral needed.
Step 2
ASSESSMENT WITH MR GEORGE.
He confirms it is a cyst, checks whether it is inflamed, and asks whether it has been drained before.
Step 3
REMOVAL, OFTEN THE SAME VISIT
Where the cyst is settled and suitable, it is removed there and then, under local anaesthetic, sac out whole, usually under an hour. An infected cyst is settled first and removed at a later visit.
Step 4
AFTERCARE AND SUTURE REMOVAL.
Wound care advice, sutures out where needed, and a named contact.
Cyst removal recovery and aftercare
Keep the wound dry for the first 48 hours. Most people return to normal activity the same day, sutures come out at around 7 to 10 days, and exercise waits about two weeks. A cyst on a shoulder or waistband takes longer to be comfortable than one on the scalp, because the skin there is under more tension.
The scar is pink and firm for a month or two and then fades, continuing to improve for up to a year. You leave with a dressing and clear wound care instructions, plus an appointment for suture removal if the site needs it. Tell us if the wound becomes more painful, red or swollen after day three rather than less, because that is the pattern that suggests infection, and it is easily treated early.
Your cyst surgeon, Mr Samuel George
Your cyst is assessed and removed by Mr Samuel George, a consultant plastic surgeon on the GMC specialist register (GMC 7013435) and our clinical lead surgeon. Mr George is a consultant plastic, hand, reconstructive and peripheral nerve surgeon at the Birmingham Hand Centre, a member of BAPRAS and BSSH, and was named PLASTA Plastic Surgery Trainer of the Year for the UK and Ireland in 2025. A surgical nurse is present throughout, clinical governance is led by Dr Sabina Hanoman-Singh, and Dr Simon Khela is our Medical Director. The clinic is CQC registered.
CQC Registered Clinic
Regulated and inspected to meet UK clinical standards.
Consultant Plastic, Hand and Peripheral Nerve Surgeon
Mr. Samuel George completed his plastic surgical training at the Northwest Deanery in 2019, after graduating from the University of Aberdeen in 2008. Samuel is a prominent surgical educator in the United Kingdom and a member of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH).
Physician Associate
Priya is a devoted Physician Associate working at Private Medical Clinic. She holds a BSc in Biochemistry from Keele University and an MSc in Physician Associate Studies from Buckinghamshire New University.
Private GP with a Special Interest in Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine
Dr Sonia Khorana is a private GP with a special interest in dermatology and an aesthetic doctor. She graduated from the University of Liverpool Medical School and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Dermatology, awarded with Distinction, from Queen Mary University of London.
Why choose Private Medical Clinic for cyst removal?
A CONSULTANT PLASTIC SURGEON
<h2>Assessed and removed by Mr Samuel George, not a shortcut.</h2> <h2></h2>
THE WHOLE SAC, IN THEATRE
<p>Lifted out in one piece so it does not come back.</p>
SEE AND TREAT
<p>Assessed and removed in the same visit where suitable, for £795 all in.</p>
SCALP CYSTS WITHOUT SHAVING
<p>Removed working around the hair.</p>
HISTOLOGY WHEN REQUIRED
<p>Sent to Nationwide Pathology, an accredited laboratory.</p>
A SURGICAL NURSE WITH YOU THROUGHOUT
<p>Your chaperone and the surgeon's second pair of hands.</p>
Patient Experience
Rated for fast, professional, and personalised care.
- Verified
Exceptional Dr totally understanding…
Exceptional Dr totally understanding totally listened and got the pain. - Verified
Fast appointment
Fast appointment, consultation was not rushed. - Verified
Good and efficient service
I got an appointment immediately on a Saturday. The doctor, Priya, called right on time and was thorough. - Verified
First time coming to the private
First time coming to the private medical clinic in Oxford. Starting with such a warm welcome and professional care.
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Cyst removal questions, Answered
You can, and it will come back. Draining empties the cyst and leaves the sac, and the sac is what refills. It also scars the tissue and makes proper removal harder later.
The local anaesthetic stings for a few seconds. After that you should feel pressure but not pain, and you can ask for more anaesthetic at any point if you feel anything sharp.
Probably not today, and that is in your interest. Operating through infected, inflamed tissue gives a poorer result and a worse scar. We usually settle the infection first, then remove the cyst properly.
A cyst usually sits in the skin, feels firmer, and often has a small central punctum, a dark dot where it connects to the surface. A lipoma sits deeper, feels softer and more rubbery, and moves more freely. Cysts can become infected; lipomas essentially do not. See our lipoma removal page for that.
Sometimes. The NHS removes cysts that are infected, painful or causing problems. It does not routinely remove ones that are simply there. If yours meets the threshold, use the NHS, and we will tell you honestly if we think it does.
Not if the sac came out whole, which is the entire aim of doing it surgically. Recurrence usually means fragments were left, which is the risk with rushed or repeated drainage rather than clean excision.
Yes, and it will be smaller than the scar you get if the cyst bursts or is repeatedly drained. A clean removal by a plastic surgeon, closed carefully, is the best cosmetic outcome available.
Yes. Scalp cysts, usually pilar cysts, are very common, and we remove them working around the hair, parting rather than shaving, and close the wound so it sits discreetly.
Yes. A ganglion is a different kind of cyst, arising near a joint or tendon, most often on the wrist, hand or finger, and Mr George is a consultant hand surgeon, so it is very much within his expertise.
Usually the same week, and often the same day, with removal frequently at the same visit.
Want it gone for good?
Book a consultation with Mr George. £795 including assessment and removal, the whole sac out under local anaesthetic, often the same visit, and you walk out the same day. Currently performed at our Edgbaston clinic in Birmingham.