If you spend hours sitting in front of a computer monitor or TV screen playing video games, you’re at risk of developing a common pain in your butt better known in the medical community as Pilonidal Disease (aka Pilonidal Cyst). 

Patients suffering from Pilonidal Disease can experience on and off discomfort, swelling, and sometimes even an eruption of the wound, causing it to drain and leave a stain of blood or pus in your underwear.  This pain in the bum is the result of a pilonidal abscess or sinus forming underneath the skin near a patient’s natal cleft, better known in the gaming community as your butt crack.

If this describes your condition, don’t panic. You are not alone and you have plenty of options. If you have significant symptoms causing severe discomfort, you’ve come to the right place. The Sternberg Clinic for Pilonidal Surgery is a pioneer in the Cleft-Lift surgery procedure, and has successfully performed hundreds of surgeries on patients around the globe from our medical center in San Francisco, California.

Read more about the symptoms, causes and treatment for Pilonidal Disease.

A Sub-Reddit for Pilonidal Disease

Because of the demographic and age-group of many patients it’s no wonder that the online community Reddit has an active Sub-Reddit community r/pilonidalcyst devoted to the subject.

Pilonidal Disease most commonly affects young people — men and women — in their late teens and early 20s. It’s not something you are born with (though the shape of your bum checks may make you more prone to it). Rather it’s something you acquire after experiencing some sort of trauma near the tailbone region — like falling off a skateboard or sitting for long periods of time in front of a video game console.

Due to the damp, dark nature of this “butt-crack” region — as many young patients describe it — the wound isn’t able to properly heal, and instead closes over creating a subcutaneous abscess that is prone to re-infection.

Do your research

Information on the Internet isn’t always accurate, case in point: This disease is often incorrectly referred to as a Pilonidal Cyst — like the sub Reddit mentioned above, but that’s not accurate. For the term ‘pilonidal cyst’ to be correct, there must be an infected glandular cyst present, which is lined by epithelium (like skin). However, cysts are not present in Pilonidal Disease and there is no such thing as a ‘pilonidal cyst’.

If you or someone you know is suffering from Pilonidal Disease, explore the patient information on this website to better understand what’s going on and what your options are.  Most importantly, learn how to interview and select the best surgeon for your treatment. And consider your options for traveling to our surgery center in San Francisco.

Finally, don’t hesitate to email us at info@thesternbergclinic.com if you’d like to learn more about your options. Our office staff is eager to hear from you and help you consider your options, including how to become a patient of The Sternberg Clinic.

---