Most people do not know how to differentiate between a cyst and a pimple. They think they are the same thing and it is common to hear someone say that they have pimple breakouts yet if you look closely at their face, it’s cysts they actually have. If you don’t know the difference between cysts and pimples, here are some differences between them.

Position on the skin
In regard to the position in which they occur on the skin, pimples occur on the sur-face of the skin whereas cysts occur beneath the skin surface.

The reason cysts occur underneath the skin is because they originate from the seba-ceous glands which are found in the deeper layer of the skin known as dermis. The sebaceous glands produce sebum, the natural oil found in mammalian skin. Sebum helps to lubricate and protect the skin and hair of mammals. Cysts which occur from the sebaceous glands are also known as sebaceous cysts. Sebaceous cysts oc-cur when a hair follicle becomes swollen.

Pimples on their part however occur on the surface of the skin since they usually arise from sweat pores. Pimples occur when the pores become filled with excess se-bum, dead cells, and bacteria.

Contents
Cysts and pimples have different materials inside them. Cysts contain fluids, gases, and pus while pimples contain dead skin cells, dirt, sebum, bacteria, and in some cases pus inside them. The reason cysts contain excess fluids or pus is because their occurrence often involves a process of inflammation. Pimples don’t often contain pus except in the cases where the clogged skin pores have been invaded by bacteria. The body’s white blood cells will act to fight the bacteria leading to formation of pus.

Color and appearance
In terms of color, cysts are usually white or yellow while pimples are pink or red in color. Cysts also have a more ragged look compared to pimples. They are larger in size compared to pimples. Pimples may often be averagely the size of a grain of course sand while cysts may look like the swellings which occur following an insect bite.

How to get rid of cysts
When trying to get rid of cysts, it’s important to seek help from a dermatologist in-stead of trying to do it on your own. Cysts are sensitive given that they occur deep-er in the skin and they are also fluid or pus filled. If they are handled incorrectly, they can lead to further infection or further damage to your skin.

The treatment method applied on a cyst is usually dependent on the type and loca-tion of a cyst. Dermatologists apply various treatment methods among them antibi-otics, drainage of the cysts, and surgical removal of cysts. Cysts can also just be al-lowed time to drain and heal on their own. This is because cysts are usually painless and are not quite a serious health problem.

Concerning prevention of cysts, one should ensure proper hygiene everyday. You should bathe and keep your skin clean as dirt may encourage development of cysts. Taking multivitamin supplements can also help in preventing cysts since the vita-mins help in curbing inflammation.

Getting rid of pimples
Pimples can be removed through various ways including exfoliating your skin using facial scrubs, steam-treating your skin to open clogged pores, applying natural products like lemon juice and tea tree oil to kill bacteria, and use of dermatological creams and ointments among other methods of treatment.

To prevent pimples, ensure proper skin hygiene. You should also avoid overscrub-bing your skin as this can cause dryness and trigger excess sebum production.