Pilonidal.net  The UK’s number 1 resource for the pilonidal sinus

Pilonidal Sinus Terminology and Jargon (article 6/7) Add your personal story of the pilonidal sinus Antibiotics: A type of drug to kill and injure bacteria. Often used for treating pilonidal infections. Cleft Lift: Plastic surgery operation whereby the wound is moved off the midline and stitched together. Involves a single flap of skin covering the midline. Closed healing: The term describing healing whereby the surgical wound has been stitched together. Drainage: The process whereby an abscess is punctured so the pus inside can drain out. Dressing: This is a general term for the process of cleaning the wound, inserting packing and/or a pad and tape to the area. Electrolysis: One of the methods available for permanently removing hair. Can be used to help prevent reoccurrence of the pilonidal condition. Involves electricity being delivered to hair follicles through probes. Exfoliation: The technique of removing skin debris and loose hair from the skin surface. Cells are physically scrubbed off. Helps prevent ingrown hair. Hematoma: A collection of blood. A common risk of the plastic surgery operations. Similar in appearance to an abscess. Lancing: A minor procedure often carried out by GPs. Used to treat an abscess through drainage and packing. Usually only a temporary measure as success rates are not high due to diseased tissue underneath the skin surface being left untreated. Laser Treatment: Another method for permanent hair removal. Less painful than electrolysis but not quite as effective. Methylene Blue: A dye which is injected into the wound during the operation to reveal where the infected tissue is. Necrosis: The premature death of skin cells and living tissue. A common risk of the plastic surgery operations. Open healing: The term describing healing whereby the surgical wound has been left open to heal naturally. Overgranulation: When the wound is close to healing, instead of the wound scabbing over, extra cells continue to form (or granulate) that are above skin level. This is usually treated with an iodine based product such as Inodine, and a foam dressing such as Mepilex. Packing: An absorbent material inserted into open wounds. Helps remove dead tissue, absorbs exudate, and keeps the sides of wounds from touching. Aquacel and Sorbsan are two popular types of packing. Pilonidal: Means a 'nest of hair'. Pilonidal Abscess: A collection of infected pus, often appearing as a large, red lump. Usually very painful. Pilonidal Cyst: This term is actually incorrect. Please see Pilonidal Abscess. Pilonidal Sinus: A sinus containing a nest of hair. Not all sinuses are pilonidal. Saline: This is sterile salt water which is often used to clean the wound during dressing changes. Sinus: A very narrow tunnel connecting the source of infection to the skin surface. Provides an outlet for infection to escape. Appears as a small, black dot on the skin surface. It is possible to have more than one sinus. Sutures: A type of stitch used in operations to hold tissue together. Common with the 'closed healing', 'cleft lift', and 'z-plasty' operations. Usually dissolvable. Swab test: Medical test to determine whether a wound is infected and which antibiotics it can be treated with. A small piece of cotton makes contact with the wound and is then sent to a local hospital for analysis. The process takes around 3 days. Tailbone: A common area for pilonidal sinuses and abscesses to form. Located at the base of the spine and the top of the buttocks. Z-plasty: Plastic surgery operation whereby the wound is moved off the midline and stitched together. Involves two flaps of skin covering the midline resulting in a 'Z' shape. Comments No comments yet. Add Comment