Remove Epidermoid Cyst with Castor Oil
I noticed a lump on Camilla’s upper neck. The vet did a biopsy and determined it was an epidermoid cyst. Epidermoid cysts are usually harmless, hard lumps that develop under the skin. The vet said that surgery to remove the cyst was not required but was an option due to its location. Before contemplating surgery, I looked into natural remedies online and came across PetHelpful’s article on removing warts, bumps, and growths with castor oil. Below is my experience attempting to remove Camilla’s cyst with castor oil.
Castor oil is a pale yellow vegetable oil known for its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. It can penetrate deep into the skin and help soften and hydrate the skin.
What You Need:
- Cotton Balls
- Castor Oil *
- Very Warm Water
* You must use edible castor oil, not topical castor oil.
Directions:
- Heat up water so that it is very warm, but not burning hot.
- Place 2 cotton balls in the warm water.
- Squeeze out excess water and pour some castor oil onto the first cotton ball. Apply the cotton ball to the cyst and hold in place until it begins to cool. Then put the cotton ball back into the warm water.
- Continue rotating between the two cotton balls, adding castor oil, up to ten times.
- Repeat this treatment three times a day until the cyst is completely gone.
What Should Happen:
The castor oil combined with the heat should help soften and breakdown the contents of the cyst. The cyst should start to shrink and/or rupture and drain.
According to the article, some growths were completely gone in as little as one week.
What Did Happen:
Camilla’s cyst started about the size of a marble and was a hard lump under her skin. I initially followed the article’s instructions and did the treatment sessions three times a day. But – full disclosure – after the first two weeks, the treatments were more sporadic, sometimes only once a day.
After three weeks I noticed the cyst was softening! However, unlike in the PetHelpful’s article, the cyst also seemed to be getting bigger instead of shrinking.
The following week (yesterday), the cyst ruptured and I used cotton balls to put pressure on the cyst and drain it.
Pro tip – I placed a bowl of peanut butter on the ground to distract her while I drained the cyst.
Since the cyst ruptured, I’ve continued the treatment with warm water and castor oil. The castor oil also acts as a disinfectant due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. The cyst area is now completely flat but is still a bit of an open wound at this point.
Conclusion:
The cyst ruptured! I would definitely suggest giving castor oil a try before looking to surgery. Perhaps the cyst would have ruptured on its own but at the very least I think the castor oil sped up the process.