Pilonidal Treatment Center of New Jersey

09/10/2025

Too often, a pilonidal abscess — a pocket of pus beneath the midline gluteal skin — is mistakenly called a “cyst.” This simple mislabeling fuels years of confusion around pilonidal disease.

Here’s why it matters:
👉 Many general surgeons see the “cyst” as the problem and attempt aggressive excisions, removing not just the abscess but also healthy skin and fat. These wide operations often fail, leading to painful recoveries and recurrence.

👉 Pilonidal specialists understand that the abscess is just a symptom. The right treatment is usually a quick drainage through a tiny incision or even a needle — followed by a carefully planned surgery that addresses the disease process itself.

⚠️ Don’t become part of a surgeon’s learning curve.
✔️ Learn the difference.
✔️ Understand the disease.
✔️ Choose a true pilonidal specialist.

That’s how you avoid failed operations and finally move toward a cure.

08/21/2025

Today’s post-op highlight wasn’t just a smooth recovery… it was THIS 🎨🍑⚡️

A patient’s sibling captured Dr. Miller in an epic laser battle with an angry butt. 😂👏
We’re calling it: best post-op gift ever.

08/04/2025

Life has a way of taking us through painful detours—especially when it comes to health. Pilonidal disease is one of those paths few expect, yet many quietly struggle with.

🌱 Like the curves of an abstract form, healing isn’t linear. There may not always be a clear shape or timeline—but there is a way forward.

Trust the process. Embrace the flexibility it takes to seek the right treatment, even if it means letting go of what hasn’t worked in the past.

In the end, it’s the courage to explore new solutions and the willingness to shift directions that lead to true healing. ✨

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If you’re dealing with pilonidal issues and feel stuck or unheard, you’re not alone. The right care exists—and it can change everything.

📩 For guidance or to explore tailored treatment options, contact the Pilonidal Treatment Center of New Jersey (PTCNJ). Specialized care, proven results.

07/24/2025

Pilonidal Cyst Surgery Myth 1: Pilonidal disease is best treated by a colorectal surgeon. Not so…
Pilonidal disease has nothing to do with the re**um, and even less to do with the colon. It is a dermatological disorder. If contemplating treatment with a colorectal specialist, ask him or her “What percentage of your practice is dedicated to pilonidal disease treatment ?” Herein you will get the most revealing answer. These docs are far more prepared to answer the more common questions such as “”How many pilonidal surgeries have you done?” or “What is your success rate with pilonidal surgery?”Colorectal surgeons prefer to spend most of their time in surgical procedures more specific to their training, such as curing colorectal cancer with the use of a robot. Their lack of formal cleft-lift training notwithstanding, they would not even want to admit close to a 50% dedication level even if they had it; this is the threshold number above which we feel great outcomes are found. By the way, the top pilonidal specialists in the US generally dedicate 100% of their surgical practices to pilonidal disease! Why is this you might ask? It is because their cleft- lift techniques have been honed to such a degree that their operations are spectacularly successful in curing all manifestations of pilonidal disease including the most severe nonhealing surgical wounds…so these surgeons generally find this level of practice dedication uniquely rewarding!

07/02/2025

When comparing our Minimally Invasive Pilonidal Treatment (MIPiT) protocol to our standard procedure, is the criteria the same? Great question…  The criteria are roughly the same with several exceptions:
1 Because incisions are kept tiny with our Gips Procedure and laser pilonidoplasty, we are a bit more permissive with regards to abscess, offering the minimally invasive option to both patients with only one such abscess requiring drainage and even offering it to pilonidal patients who have never had any abscess but wish a proactive approach, to prevent a  painful drainage procedure from ever being needed at all.  Makes sense!
2 We do not offer the minimally invasive protocol to patients with nonhealing surgical wounds or ultralow sinus tracts because results are deemed unsatisfactory in these situations.

07/02/2025

At our Center, we have established 5 criteria that each indicate that the “time is now” for our curative gluteal cleft-lift procedure. Here they are, in no particular order..
1 Two or more subcutaneous abscesses requiring drainage.  Because many patients with one such abscess will not develop a second, yet each subsequent abscess increases the chance for further abscesses, we have decided it most reasonable to move ahead with cleft-lift recommendation once a patient has reached a threshold of 2 such abscesses.  We also understand that nonspecialist drainage procedures can be exquisitely painful for our patients and thus seek to minimize them.
2   One or more chronically draining pilonidal sinus tracts.  Because permanent pus drainage in this area is both nonhygienic and socially impactful, we move ahead with cleft-lift recommendation once one or more such tracts have developed.  Further, there is a small but existent chance of cancerous transformation of a longstanding and untreated pilonidal sinus tract. Finally, sinus tracts can advance progressively lower and perianal in location if cure is not provided to stop the process.
3 A nonhealing surgical wound from a previously failed pilonidal excisional surgery, often by a nonspecialist!  As one can imagine, the permanent inflammation and cellular turnover here set the stage for cancerous transformation in a longstanding and nontreated surgical wound.  Not to mention the pain and chronic drainage of such wounds.
4 Chronic coccydynia in the absence of undrained pilonidal abscess.  Stay with me, because this one can get tricky!  Some patients with the diagnostic midline pits complain of chronic tailbone pain, worse with sitting.  Here, another reason to cure with cleft-lift!  We do, however, like to first make sure that no undrained chronic pilonidal abscess is present before making the recommendation here.  We have seen multiple patients who have such an abscess as the cause of pain, and simple abscess drainage was all that was needed to render them pain-free, thus avoiding cleft-lift in these cases.

03/13/2025

Cleft-lift Success Rate for tailbone-area pilonidal disease

Discover the high success rate of cleft-lift surgery for pilonidal cysts, even in complex revisional cases. Understand how cyst proximity to the a**s & surgeon expertise influence healing.

03/08/2025

Pilonidal Surgery is Not Painful!

Looking to learn more about Pilonidal diseases and their symptoms? Feel free to browse through our blog that features Pilonidal treatment related articles.

01/12/2025

See our recently published data

The Data Mounts: 261 Cleft-lifts for Complex Pilonidal Disease and Excisional Failures The Bascom cleft-lift procedure is a superior approach for treating pilonidal disease. The purpose of this study was to establish healing time after cleft-lift, operative success, and any associated clinical or op...