Best Outcomes for Pilonidal Disease: The Blog
Short Advice Articles, Brief Updates
These are posts from Dr. Sternberg and the staff at the Sternberg Clinic. We are on a mission to educate the medical community and patients about the best outcomes for Pilonidal Disease utilizing the Pilonidal RAF/Cleft Lift Procedure.
What is that dark thing protruding from the lump above my Buttock Crack?
If you’ve noticed a small red lump near the top of your buttock cleft — especially if there’s a strand poking out of it — you might be wondering, what on earth is that? That dark bit you’re seeing is actually a…
A Hidden Surgical Epidemic: Pilonidal Disease and the Failure of Modern Medicine
There is a silent medical epidemic unfolding in exam rooms, urgent care clinics, and operating theaters across the world—one that leaves teenagers and young adults suffering for months, sometimes years, often subjected to the wrong procedures again and again. Few have heard…
Pilonidal Disease in Women
Breaking the Myths and Raising Awareness When most people hear about pilonidal disease, they often picture young men as the typical patients. While it’s true that pilonidal disease is slightly more common in males, many are surprised to learn that a significant…
Pilonidal Surgery Outcomes: Why Tracking Matters
Experience Leads to a CURE! Not all pilonidal surgeries are created equal. Unfortunately, many patients with pilonidal disease are sent to practices where surgeons perform outdated operations with high recurrence rates—and the results can be devastating. A failed surgery can mean more…
A Failed Rhomboid Flap for a Pilonidal Cyst
A Common and Avoidable Tragedy I recently operated on a 22-year-old male from the Southeast who had suffered from pilonidal disease for the past five years. Frustrated with ongoing pain and infections, he decided in early 2023 that it was time for…
About Dr. Jeffrey Sternberg, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Founder of The Sternberg Clinic of San Francisco Meet Dr. Jeffrey Sternberg, MD – A Leading Expert in Pilonidal Disease Dr. Jeffrey Sternberg, MD, is a highly respected colorectal surgeon based in San Francisco, California. He is internationally recognized for his expertise…
A Tale of Improper Pilonidal Care: The Fog of Confusion
A Journey Through the Healthcare Maze Imagine being a healthy 27-year-old male, living life as usual, when one day, a small bump appears near the tailbone. It grows bigger, becomes painful, and makes sitting uncomfortable. What seems like a minor issue soon…
The Procedure With a Near 100% Cure Rate
Why the Cleft Lift Procedure/Pilonidal RAF (rotation and advancement flap) Should and Will Be the Gold Standard for Pilonidal Disease Pilonidal disease can feel like a never-ending battle. Many patients endure painful flare-ups, failed surgeries, and a constant worry that their condition…
Avoiding the Recurrence Trap
IntroductionFor many pilonidal disease patients, the battle doesn’t end with their first surgery. Recurrence is a devastatingly common issue, leaving individuals frustrated, in pain, and often feeling hopeless. But why do pilonidal surgeries fail so frequently? And more importantly, how can you…
Welcome to the Inaugural Post of The Sternberg Clinic Weekly Blog!
Join us for a deep dive into the fascinating (and sometimes quirky) world of pilonidal disease and surgery. If you’ve landed here, chances are you’re curious about pilonidal care, looking for answers, or maybe just trying to figure out how to pronounce…
A Song for a Healer
A friend, Clayton Barhorst (an MD), wrote and recorded this song (A Song for a Healer).
Make the Cleft Lift Procedure Your First Choice of Surgery
So, you develop a symptomatic pilonidal “cyst” (really an abscess), or sinus and you see a local surgeon. The surgeon advises surgery. What operation does that surgeon recommend? This is a critical question for anybody with symptoms of pilonidal disease (often incorrectly…
Don’t Live with Failed Surgery for a Pilonidal Cyst
Are you dealing with a failed “pilonidal cyst” surgery? Learn about the Cleft Lift Procedure. So, you have had one, or more, operations for your pilonidal disease (often incorrectly referred to as a pilonidal cyst), and now you have a recurrence or…
Pilonidal Disease: Truths, Myths, and Pearls
Dr. Sternberg will be presenting a talk on Pilonidal Disease: Truths, Myths, and Pearls as part of the Colorectal Surgery Virtual Educational Series (CRSVirtualEd) on March 26th at 7pm EST. (https://crsvirtualed.org/) The talk will be intended for a medical audience made up…
Underappreciated and Misunderstood
Pilonidal disease is a common condition affecting perhaps 1% of the young population in the United States. Few medical practitioners appreciate the prevalence of this condition, and it is surprising how misunderstood this condition is by medical providers including surgeons. Way too…
Dr. Sternberg Awarded Top Doctor
Our commitment to successful outcomes for patients with Pilonidal Disease has been recognized by Castle Connolly again in 2023. After being nominated by other doctors, Dr. Sternberg has been awarded “Top Doctor” status. This means that Dr. Sternberg, and the Sternberg Clinic,…
Dr. Sternberg Paper Published
Dr. Sternberg’s paper has been published in the Seminars in Colon and Rectal Surgery journal. The Cleft Lift procedure for pilonidal disease renamed as rotation and advancement flap procedure (RAF): Insights and technical tips for a successful outcome is available online here.…
Is Surgery Inevitable for Pilonidal Disease
Clearly, if you develop pilonidal disease, you would like to avoid surgery if possible. Surgical avoidance, however, may not be completely under your control. For early, mild pilonidal disease with a small pit or two and occasional pain, surgery may not be…
Living with an open wound since early in the pandemic
I’m 18 and from Seattle, Washington. When we went on lock-down in March of 2020, I began to sit for hours at a time, studying, reading, and eventually Zoom schooling. I first realized that something was wrong when I developed a painful…
Draining a Pilonidal Abscess: Controversies and Best Practices
Draining a pilonidal abscess (I&D) should be in the bag of tricks of any emergency room, urgent care doctor, or surgeon. But the practice is very variable, and many patients have unsatisfactory experiences. Here are the main issues, and I will say this is…
I am on a mission to educate patients and the surgical community
Many surgeons choose to treat pilonidal patients with disfiguring, wide-excisional operations hoping to completely remove the elusive cyst. The problem is that many of these radical operations for pilonidal disease: 1) often don’t work and can lead to a recurrence as they…
How do we Teach Proper Pilonidal Surgery Technique?
It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks! And it’s a challenge to get surgeons to change the way they treat a particular condition after residency training. Surgeons are trained by their mentors to do things in a certain way. Most are wedded to…
How do you know if a surgeon is a pilonidal expert?
Few surgeons truly have a desire or interest in taking care of pilonidal patients and many of their operations make the problem worse. Not everyone should be performing the cleft lift. It is technically demanding, requires good three-dimensional planning, and adequate…
Surgeons, please partner with me in changing the way we treat pilonidal disease.
During my training as a general and colon and rectal surgeon, I was complicit in many poorly planned and executed operations for pilonidal disease. Patients would come to the operating room with a symptomatic but small appearing problem, and they would leave with…
Patient Prep: Traveling to San Francisco for Pilonidal care during COVID-19
This has been a difficult eight months for all of us. The time has been particularly challenging for patients with Pilonidal Disease, particularly those who must to travel outside of their local medical community to find a surgeon who can provide proper…
I’m a gamer! Why does my butt hurt so bad?
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…
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Patient Testimonials: The Blog
Read success stories from surgery patients
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Life-Changing Pilonidal Surgery
My Teen’s Success Story with The Sternberg Clinic My teenage daughter is now over two years post operation and it has been life-changing! This is your sign to contact this clinic if you are having pilonidal issues! Prior to seeking expert pilonidal surgery help from this clinic, my daughter suffered a year and a half,
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100% Healed without Signs of Pilonidal Disease
2022, The Initial Diagnosis In 2022 my son was diagnosed with pilonidal disease. After several rounds of antibiotic and lancing we went to a very renowned surgeon in our area who told us that surgery is the answer. My son underwent surgery to remove the diseased tissue. We were told it needed to heal from
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I have No Pain, No Drainage, and can Finally Live my Life
I am so Thankful for Finding Dr. Sternberg After 7 years and 5 failed surgeries, I was worried I was going to have to live with my Pilonidal Disease my whole life. Thankfully, a doctor in the Bay Area pointed me in the direction of Dr. Sternberg’s clinic. Dr Sternberg was incredibly friendly and his
