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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Could It Be If Having Hard Knot On The Upper Back Which Has Turned Purple And Oozing Pus?

I have a hard knot on the upper back/lower neck area. Have had it about 5 yrs. never bothered me until now. its about the size of a quarter and has turned purple around it and is seems to be seeping pus. It is giving me pain now. I put a bandage on it with neosporin on it. Please advise.
Thu, 6 Feb 2014
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Dermatologist 's  Response
Hello,
Welcome to healthcare magic.
From your history and description,it seems to me that you had a sebaceous cyst which has now got infected. Sebaceous cyst appears as a painless, cystic mass usually on the face and trunk and may not cause much discomfort. It has a tendency to get secondarily infected, in which case it becomes red, swollen and discharges pus as in your case. You will benefit from taking a course of oral antibiotic like penicillin/ cephalexin for 5 days. You could also use a topical antibiotic cream with 2% mupirocin twice a day for 7 days. Once the infection has subsided, You need to get the cyst excised by a dermatosurgeon.
Hope this helps you.
Take care.
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What Could It Be If Having Hard Knot On The Upper Back Which Has Turned Purple And Oozing Pus?

Hello, Welcome to healthcare magic. From your history and description,it seems to me that you had a sebaceous cyst which has now got infected. Sebaceous cyst appears as a painless, cystic mass usually on the face and trunk and may not cause much discomfort. It has a tendency to get secondarily infected, in which case it becomes red, swollen and discharges pus as in your case. You will benefit from taking a course of oral antibiotic like penicillin/ cephalexin for 5 days. You could also use a topical antibiotic cream with 2% mupirocin twice a day for 7 days. Once the infection has subsided, You need to get the cyst excised by a dermatosurgeon. Hope this helps you. Take care.