A pilonidal disease is an unnatural growth of skin that is mainly developed at the tailbone or near the tailbone. This disease is caused when the ingrown hair penetrates the skin so it usually contains hair and skin. Common symptoms of a pilonidal disease include fever, redness, pain, and drainage of dirty-smelling pus. Also, pilonidal diseases commonly occur in people who have excessive hair at the back, who sits for long periods, and who sweat a lot. 

Causes

Ingrown hair beneath the skin is one of the most common causes of pilonidal disease. This can further lead to an infection known as pilonidal abscess or boil, which is filled with bad-smelling pus. It can even cause severe pain.

Most people with pilonidal diseases usually develop a pilonidal sinus after the draining of the abscess. This drainage of abscess can, however, occur on its own or through medical treatment. Once a pilonidal sinus develops, the infection will further spread to the sinus tract from the cyst, and recurrence is likely.

Prevention

The followings are some of the steps that can help you in preventing a pilonidal disease:

• Avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes
• Avoid sitting for a long time
• Keep your weight maintained, and if necessary lose weight
• Keep your buttock area dry and clean
• Avoid carrying having things
• If you have excessive hair around your buttock, shave it

In short, anything that give excessive pressure on your back can cause a pilonidal disease. Therefore, make sure you do not give excessive pressure on your back to prevent a pilonidal disease. 

Treatment

There are various treatment options available for treating a pilonidal disease. This includes antibiotic treatment, hot compress, and surgery. However, Hot compress and antibiotics work the best in treating mild pilonidal disease while surgery is the only option for severe pilonidal disease. 

Antibiotic treatment

Antibiotics help in preventing infection from spreading. However, one must only use the prescribed antibiotic drug. That’s because self-medication can further irritate the skin and may cause side effects. The followings are some of the antibiotic drugs that help mild pilonidal disease:

• Metronidazole  
• Erythromycin   
• Flucloxacillin
• Clindamycin
• Clarithromycin

Hot compress

To get some relief from pain, discomfort, and irritation, you can follow some easy methods at home. This includes applying a hot and wet compress to the infected area. It can help in relieving those symptoms. Moreover, the heat will help to pull out the pus, resulting in draining the cyst. You can also repeat this step several times a day. Also, soaking your bottom in warm water or a sitz bath can help in getting relief. 

Surgery

In this surgical procedure, the surgeon will first give you anesthesia to numb the targeted area. Then, the surgeon will make a small cut to the cyst with help of a surgical knife. This is to allow the pus and others substances inside the cyst to drain completely. Once the draining process is complete, the surgeon will either stitch the resulting wound or packs it with sterile gauze. But, this also depends on the location of your cyst.