Anatomy of a Pilar Cyst

Death by acne, they all said
when the volcano exploded on his head.
Full of blood and pus and gore,
It dripped and splattered on the floor.

Katley Demetria Brown 2012

In February this year I had a pilar cyst removed from my head.  These are benign growths that contain fat and keratin. When they get infected,  they can become quite painful, especially before they "erupt." Sometimes they don't erupt and and the safest way to remove them is to see a medical professional.  My husband removes them if they have an "outlet", otherwise I make an appointment with the local dermatologist.

Pilar cysts are caused by infected sebaceous glands.  They are genetic, tend to run in families, and are benign growths (not cancerous).

See video below for how the procedure is done.  As long as the doctor injects enough painkiller (the most painful part of the procedure is the needle going in), the actual cyst removal is painless.  Afterwards, depending on the size and the number of cysts removed (three is the maximum that can be removed at one time),  the doctor prescribes a painkiller.  Vicodin works the best for the first 24 hours, especially with larger cysts; then the pain is manageable with ibuprofen. The doctor removes the stitches in about ten days.

The cysts look like globs of fat with streaks of blood.  When they dry they harden because they are made of keratin (same protein that's in hair or fingernails).

After the doctor removes the cysts, he stitches up the area and cleans it with disinfectant.  There is another visit to the doctor's office to remove the stitches about ten days later.

Pilar cysts, unfortunately, tend to recur.  In my case, I've had surgeries for them every 6-10 years which is not too bad.  My husband has been able to remove a few of them.  Sometimes they have  a small hole where the fat can drain, and then the rest of it pops out with pressure. I use hydrogen peroxide to prevent infection.



There are worse things than pilar cysts, however they can stretch the surrounding skin enough to hurt, and when the hair follicles get infected the damn things have to come out, since they can be quite painful.  When this happens there are bald spots at the location of the cyst because the hair falls out (it grows back when the cyst is removed).

Copyright © 2016 Katley Demetria Brown. Site Designed by Katley Demetria Brown. All Rights Reserved.
Video from YouTube, posted by wkharrismd

A Walk along the Connecticut River: Pynchon Point Park

There is a scenic park not far from where I live.  Pynchon Point Park is diamond in the rough. At the entrance from the parking lot, you follow the path down to the river with a lovely view of the South End Bridge. This is a no-frills park with few amenities: it has no playground and there are no portable toilets.  If you plan to canoe or kayak here, you need a cart to transport your boat since there is no vehicle access to the water.  The photos were taking during the spring of 2016.  There was hardly any snow that winter, and no spring high water, so the park was accessible.

People come here to fish during the shad run  mid-May until early June. Occasionally families picnic here on weekends.Fishermen have told me they have caught striped bass in the river, and they can be over three feet long.

There is a stretch of sand along the waterfront.  I have never seen anyone swim there, although I have seen people launch kayaks. I think it has to do with park located a short distance downstream from the Springfield Wastewater Treatment Plant.  The output from the plant is usually clean except during periods of heavy rain, when combined sewer overflows occur. 

Many years ago, the plant, also known as Bondi's Island, used to stink up the entire neighborhood. When the wind blew the wrong way, the odor wafted into downtown Springfield.  The sewage treatment plant has since cleaned up its act (it no longer smells unless you're actually at the plant) and also does a good job cleaning the crap from the five towns in the Springfield area.  Unless there has been a heavy rain, the water is usually clean enough for boating and swimming, according to this website.

It's certainly a lot cleaner than it used to be.  Before the park was created, there was a lot of illegal dumping done here. Unfortunately, the park is often littered with the remains of alcoholic celebrations, even though there is a trash can next to the picnic table.  You name it they drink it: beer, soda and vodka, and none of it is the good stuff. It's the cheap booze from the local convenience store.

This is the sign at the entrance to the park.  It was originally a ferry landing for boats traveling from Agawam to Springfield until the first South End Bridge was built in 1879. You can read about the park's history from the sign if you enlarge the picture.

A sign in the parking lot reminds people that they can be hit with a hefty fine if they dump garbage and other refuse. So far I haven't seen trash bags and household items, although the fishermen who come here often litter the beach with Dunkin' Donuts cups, beer bottles and cans, fishing line and stryrofoam cups, despite the trash bins located in a couple of places in the park. Unfortunately, fishermen have a bad rep for being slobs.

The best vantage point is right before the bridge.  Since there is no picnic table in this part of the park I sometimes bring a folding chair and enjoy the view.  The bridge was built in 1929.

Pynchon Point Park is a great place to take pictures.  Just don't go there during springtime high water (early April when the snow melts).

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Copyright © 2016 Katley Demetria Brown. Site Designed by Katley Demetria Brown. All Rights Reserved. Photos © Katley Demetria Brown.