I have a sore on my inner thigh. It normally shows up every 3 months with my cycle. It is always painfull and hard. It starts out looking like a skin blemish and then grows from there. There is pus and redness. I have no medical insurance at this time and am concerned of what it might be? My husband says, he thinks, it is a cyst. Should I be concerned about it?

Doctor Joshua’s Answer:

Your description suggests a keratinous cyst, i.e. skin atheroma. The treatment is surgical - the cyst is opened and drained, and the cyst wall is excised. However, from your description alone I can’t be sure of what this skin sore is. Any skin sore or skin infection needs to be physically examined by a doctor, because there are many different types of skin lesions that can produce similar symptoms. Most of these skin sores are benign (not dangerous), but any infection should be treated to prevent the infection from causing further problems. Also, if it is indeed a keratinous cyst, and it gets repeatedly infected, just about the only way to get rid of it would be to have it surgically removed. The procedure is straightforward and is performed under local anesthesia, and many primary care physicians are capable of doing it. It’s also important to show any skin sore or skin infection to a doctor, because in some rare cases it could be a sign of a more serious skin disease, even cancer, but as I said that’s rare.