Lasting treatment for the painful tailbone sinus that keeps coming back — from simple procedures to flap repair for recurrent disease.
A pilonidal sinus is a small tunnel under the skin at the top of the cleft between the buttocks, near the tailbone, which becomes filled with hair and debris and repeatedly gets infected. It typically affects young adults — students, drivers and professionals who sit for long hours — causing painful swelling and discharge.
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Diagnosis is clinical — the sinus openings and pits are visible on examination. For recurrent or extensively branching disease, we map the tracts before planning surgery so nothing is left behind.
An acute abscess is drained as an urgent, quick procedure that gives immediate relief — but drainage alone does not remove the sinus. Hair removal and hygiene reduce flare-ups yet rarely cure an established sinus.
Definitive options range from minimally invasive sinus ablation for limited disease to excision with off-midline closure or flap repair (such as Limberg flap) for recurrent or complex sinuses — the approach with the lowest recurrence rates. Our plastic-surgery support means even difficult recurrent cases get a durable, well-healed result.
We recommend surgery only when it is genuinely the best option for you — and explain why, in plain language, before you decide.
Day-care or overnight stay depending on the technique.
Wound care at home; sitting comfort improves steadily; desk work usually possible.
Sutures (if any) removed; most routine activity resumes.
Full healing; hair-control advice to keep recurrence risk low.
Timelines are typical for uncomplicated cases — your surgeon will give you a personalised plan.
The final cost depends on the technique used, the complexity of your case, the type of room you choose and your length of stay. After your consultation you receive a clear, itemised estimate — before you decide anything.
Bring your policy details or insurance card and our front-desk team will help you with the paperwork and coordination with your insurer from admission through discharge.
Bawa Hospital in Ludhiana treats patients from across Punjab — including Chandigarh, Mohali, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Bathinda, Moga and Khanna — as well as Delhi NCR, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
For outstation patients we plan the consultation, pre-operative tests and surgery to minimise trips — often completed in a single visit, with follow-up support on WhatsApp.
Usually because previous treatment only drained the infection or left tract tissue behind, or because midline wounds heal poorly in this area. Off-midline and flap techniques exist precisely to break this cycle — recurrence rates drop sharply with the right operation.
It is not cancerous and not life-threatening, but repeated infections scar the area and make later surgery bigger. Treating it definitively early keeps the operation small.
Keep the area hair-free (laser hair reduction helps), maintain hygiene, and avoid very prolonged uninterrupted sitting in the healing phase. We give every patient a simple prevention plan.
Most patients manage desk work within a week, with positioning advice. Complete wound healing takes a few weeks depending on the technique used.
Medically reviewed by Prof. (Dr.) Ashvind Bawa, MS FACS — Director, Surgical Services · Last reviewed July 2026
The right operation, done once, ends years of repeated infections.