Liposuction-Assisted Cleftoplasty

Pilonidal disease is driven by the human gluteal cleft anatomy. No cyst exists to be removed or otherwise. Patients must understand that effective cleft-lifts are permanently curative because the gluteal cleft is not only lifted but done so in a sufficiently drastic way that the anatomic change is durable for years. This change, however, is perceived by many as non-aesthetic.

At PTCNJ, for patients fully cured of the disease or associated surgical wounds but disappointed by the anatomic change, we have begun to selectively offer liposuction-assisted cleftoplasty. In this office -based procedure done under local anesthesia, we judiciously recreate the natural gluteal contour, in a way which aligns with the cosmetic desires of the patient but does not increase the possibility of recurrent pilonidal disease. No recovery period is generally required.

We believe that patients potentially concerned with cosmetic change should have these concerns heard. There are those who would rather live with symptoms of the disease than have this anatomic change, and this is understandable. There are less successful minimally invasive options such as pit-picking and laser ablation that “burn no bridges” and can almost always be tried first.