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What Causes Black Large Zit That Contains A Hard Object On Leg?
My 17-year old son has had what kind of looks like a large zit on his leg, only it is black. It was also painful to touch or lay on. Sometimes he gets puss out of it. He won t try to pop it because it is so painful. He hasn t let me get a very close look at it, and I thought that maybe he had an ingrown hair. Today he decided to pop it, and he got out a small, hard object that kind of looks like a small bead - a little smaller than a BB. It has a partial opening like the hole in the bead, but it doesn t go all the way through. The area on his leg is still black. But he still won t let me get a very close look at it. This seems really weird. Any idea on what it could be?
Tue, 17 Jan 2017
Hi,
From what you describe it might be a so-called epidermal cyst. This is when outer skin is trapped underneath the skin and continues to form scaly material. This forms a cyst with a connection to the outside.
It typically looks like a bump (from pea-size to plum-size or more) underneath the skin with a hole in the top that looks like a giant blackhead. Color can be from whitish over reddish to black. It also can get infected and drain pus and hurt.
I would suggest that your son shows the lesion to your family doctor or dermatologist who can then determine whether he needs an antibiotic for infection and confirm the diagnosis (and rule out other, rarer possibilities) The only permanent cure for this type of lesion is if it is completely surgically removed.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Christine Sauer
From what you describe it might be a so-called epidermal cyst. This is when outer skin is trapped underneath the skin and continues to form scaly material. This forms a cyst with a connection to the outside.
It typically looks like a bump (from pea-size to plum-size or more) underneath the skin with a hole in the top that looks like a giant blackhead. Color can be from whitish over reddish to black. It also can get infected and drain pus and hurt.
I would suggest that your son shows the lesion to your family doctor or dermatologist who can then determine whether he needs an antibiotic for infection and confirm the diagnosis (and rule out other, rarer possibilities) The only permanent cure for this type of lesion is if it is completely surgically removed.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Christine Sauer
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