How much?!!!!

[salcombebabe]

I have a sebaceous cyst on my face. Went to see the Nurse Practitioner yesterday who prescribed antibiotics. She said if it doesn't go down it'll have to be removed. The GP at the surgery can't do it because it's on my face so I'll have to go privately as it's a low priority for the NHS - fair enough.

So I checked prices online and an initial consultation costs anything from £75 to £375 and the cost of the procedure (local anaesthetic) is from £375 to £1600!!!

Unfortunately I am now divorced and on a low wage, how is anyone like me supposed to afford this?

Can the GP refer you? I had one on my back, was referred and advised it could be a lengthy wait. My appointment was two months later.

'Have to' means it absolutely can be done on the NHS, even if the wait list is massive. Push back.

It's entirely cosmetic. If you can't afford it, don't do it.

Go on the waiting list, it may be shorter than you expect.

I'd ask to speak to a doctor next time - lots of sebaceous cysts are done on NHS lists if they're big/in a difficult place/there's recurrent infections/there uncertainty about the diagnosis.

Who said the GP can't do it? I had one removed from near my eye 10 years ago and that was £1k. Where abouts do you live, I don't see why it can't be done either at the GP or during the first appointment with a private dermatologist. It's expensive because it's cosmetic. Ideally they should always send it off for pathology too, all this costs.

I’d be surprised if any GP would agree to do any minor surgery on someone’s face, faces and hands are usually (always?) dealt with by plastics. If the Nurse Practitioner is correct and it must be done the GP will just refer you.

It’s cosmetic - it’s not life threatening or actually needing treatment

Actually thats not true. I work in Dermatology and we do lots of faces.

it is currently being treated with antibiotics. One of the criteria for sebaceous cyst excision is repeatedly needing antibiotics. There are other criteria related to the face that may qualify the OP for surgery too.

One course of antibiotics though……

Removal of cysts is cosmetic unless they cause repeated problems. Original posts suggest this is the first time they’ve had this issue so unlikely to qualify for removal.

there are other criteria! they may not meet them, but equally they might. Neither of us know that. There's quite a bit more too it than 'it's just cosmetic'...have been anaesthetising patients for sebaceous cysts long enough to know that much!

Okay, sorry, I should’ve said most (all?) of the hand and face referrals I’ve dealt with have gone to plastics and when I had to be referred for a facial BCC it went to dermatology who passed it straight on to plastics.

Yes in the past I've been referred for removal of ones on my body at the hospital Dermatology dept but it's now changed (I'm guessing to NHS financial constraints). She said if it becomes worse or bursts then it'll be classed as an emergency and the NHS will deal with it, in the meantime to look for a private company which can remove it. It's quite near my eye and is large so I guess that's why the GP won't do it.

I was just shocked at the costs!

I had a large one removed off my back last year in hospital. My GP had to apply to the ICB for funding to have it removed and certain criteria had to be met to qualify.

Ah I just saw it’s near your eye. I had a large one on my jaw that the GP said was cosmetic and couldn’t/wouldn’t refer me for. She said to use a needle to pop it 🤯. It was there for years.
Luckily it was near a tooth which needed extracting so my dentist somehow referred me to max fax at the hospital who cut it out and confirmed I definitely couldn’t have popped it myself as it was the consistency of cheese 🤮.
I didn’t get a quote for private removal, that’s a LOT but I did expect it would be.

That’s because services are not organised in a standard way across the country or uk.

I will add though, I have been left with a large red 2 inch scar. Obviously it may fade over time. But If I was having the op for cosmetic reasons I dont think I'd be happy with the results because the scar looks no better than the lump!

Mine was done in plastic surgery at the hospital too.

They do remove them I had one done last month.

I would explore it again with a doctor rather than the NP. Near the eye (with a risk of impairing visual fields...esp if you're a driver) is often an accepted indication. If it's getting in the way of wearing glasses that may also count, as may the risk of a significant infection near an eye. If it bursts then they are most likely to drain it out as the capsule is often not that easy to remove when it's inflamed, so it doesn't fix the underlying problem. Your local hospital trust may well have an online guideline for what they will routinely accept for excision so that may be worth looking up too.

The antibiotics run out over the weekend so, if it's no better I'll contact the surgery again and ask for referral to the hospital?