- How a small spot on the face led to an operation
- A woman’s warning not to pop pimples
A woman who thought she had a small spot on her cheek was shocked to discover it was something more sinister that required surgery.
Steph Warkotsch, 30, from Melbourne, first noticed a small mark on her face in October and thought it was a pimple, but became concerned when it didn’t go away after a week.
As the swelling grew, she tried to remove the suspected pimple using a mask and a cold compress, but it only made things worse.
“Although I’m not prone to blemishes, I thought it was a stain,” Ms. Warkotsch said.
‘But when I was trying to get the gland out and it was just growing, I started to worry.
“The pain was unbearable and I couldn’t sleep well because I couldn’t lie on the left side of my face at all.”
The 30-year-old woman went to her doctor, who prescribed antibiotics, but the spot on her face continued to grow and doubled in size as the weeks passed.
Within a month, it was the size of a dime and had left her with a “constant shooting pain” in her face.
Steph Warkotsch thought nothing of a small mark on her face before it quickly doubled in size.
Steph Warkotsch Left With 30 Stitches in Her Face After Cyst Removal
Her doctor didn’t want to attempt an extraction, so she was sent for an ultrasound that revealed a sebaceous cyst deeply rooted in the bone and sinuses.
Although sebaceous cysts are generally harmless, they are full of keratin and cellular debris, so the only option for Mrs. Warkotsch was an operation.
It was lucky that I didn’t try to burst the cyst because it would have probably caused an infection and it would have definitely grown back.
Surgery was the only course of action and 30 minutes and $450 later, the cyst was removed at a private clinic.
The wound required a huge 30 stitches which were necessary to follow the wrinkle and smile line on his face, meaning his scar will heal more smoothly.
Despite the precise suturing strategy, Mrs. Warkotsch still cried when she looked in the mirror after the operation.
“I thought they were going to extract it, not remove it,” Mrs. Warkotsch said.
‘The procedure was uncomfortable and seeing my face all stitched up for the first time was a shock.
“This is going to be on my face forever and it was hard to accept, but I’m better and the scar is diminishing.”
Warkotsch said her experience should be a lesson to those who tend to pop suspected pimples on their faces without hesitation.
“I wanted to warn others that a stain may not be a blemish,” she said.
“You should always seek professional help, especially when it comes to your face.”