Oh dear, the inflamed cyst on your mum’s neck looks rather painful!
The simple answer is unfortunately, there is no non-surgical method to treat these cysts. They are skin cysts which are called sebaceous cysts. They originate from skin glands which secrete sebum to moisturise the skin but if their drainage outlet becomes blocked, then a cyst forms with risk of becoming infected like your mum’s
In the first instance, most of my patients would have a course of antibiotics to treat any acute infection then they undergo simple removal of the cyst, usually under local anaesthesia (injection to numb the area). This is a straightforward, short and safe procedure to perform for your mum, especially as she has been suffering from recurrent infections in this area for the past 2 years!
To prevent recurrence of the cyst, it is extremely important that the entire cyst and its lining are completely removed. Otherwise, there is a risk that any remaining cyst material can continue to become infected again in future.
If your mum is diabetic, it is even more essential that the infected cyst is aggressively treated with antibiotics and surgical removal because diabetes carries a risk of more complicated infections such as more serious cellulitis/spreading skin infection which may need hospital admission for an antibiotic drip.
We also worry about a life-threatening skin condition in diabetics called necrotising fasciitis: This is a rapidly progressive condition that may start off as a simple infected skin cyst but which goes on to spread quickly to affect deeper soft tissues which don’t heal and instead break down and lose their blood supply, very scary indeed.
