A domestic abuse survivor who suffered trauma to her skull that led her to develop six painful cysts on the back of her head has regained her confidence after having the unsightly growths removed.
Sherry Costanza, 48, from Jasper, Texas, met with plastic surgeon Dr. Michelle Lee on Monday night’s episode of the E! reality series Dr. 90210, explaining that the cysts not only caused her pain, but they also itched, leaked, and sometimes even smelled.
‘The cysts started on my head when I was about 25, and they just progressively got bigger and bigger and bigger,’ she said in her testimonial. ‘They hurt. They’ll just ache, and they itch really, really, really bad, and I want them gone.’
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Excited: Sherry Costanza, 48, from Jasper, Texas, met with plastic surgeon Dr. Michelle Lee to have the cysts on the back of her head removed on Monday night’s episode of Dr. 90210
Before and after: Dr. Lee was successfully able to remove six painful cysts from the back of Sherry’s head
‘I want to be able to walk down the street and not think there is nobody looking at the bumps sticking out,’ she added. ‘I know what it looks like. I wouldn’t want to see on the back of nobody’s head.’
Sherry told Dr. Lee that she had a doctor check them out at the nursing facility where she worked, but he was little help, telling her: ‘I can do what they used to in the olden days and hit it with a Bible.’
‘Wait, he wants to hit you with a Bible?’ Dr. Lee asked in shock.
‘He said, “If they don’t bother you, don’t bother them,” because they’re not on my face,’ Sherry. ‘Like if he had one on his penis, he wouldn’t want to hit it with a Bible.’
Trauma: Sherry said that when she was younger, she was in an abusive relationship with a man who would hit her in the back of her skull instead of her face
What happend: Dr. Lee explained that cysts are sometimes the result of minor trauma
Dr. Lee asked if Sherry had any injuries to her skull, explaining that cysts are sometimes the result of minor trauma.
‘When I was very young, I was in a bad relationship and he would not hit my face,’ Sherry explained. ‘He would punch my head, and I would have knots on my head. I remember them, but these didn’t manifest until a few years later. But I don’t know what else it could be.’
The surgeon wanted to help Sherry even more after she learned what had likely caused the cysts to form all those years ago.
‘My heart really breaks for her when I hear this because every time she brushes her hair she has to be reminded that this could potentially be from her abuse,’ Dr. Lee said in her testimonial.
One more: Sherry thought there were only five cysts on the back of her head, but when Dr. Lee examined her, she saw there were actually six
Compassion: ‘My heart really breaks for her when I hear this because every time she brushes her hair she has to be reminded that this could potentially be from her abuse,’ Dr. Lee said
Sherry just let the cysts go for a long time, but then they ‘started to really itch’ and ‘started to really grow.’
‘Then they started leaking, like having a smell,’ she added. ‘You know it’s there and it affects your confidence.’
Sherry said she lives on a lake but doesn’t go swimming very often because the cysts make it too painful for her to pull her hair back into a ponytail.
She refuses to swim with her hair down because she knows it will separate in the water and people will see her cysts.
Moving forward: The surgery’s risks included infection and bleeding, but Sherry didn’t care. She was determined to get rid of the cysts
‘I want to get them out of there so I can maybe get on with my life and not [be] hurting and I’ll be able to sleep at night and I can date again,’ she said, admitting she hasn’t been on a date in about 10 years because she’s so embarrassed by her cysts.
‘The cysts have caused me to not want to go out because I don’t want it to be seen,’ she explained. ‘I’m always afraid for someone to make a loving gesture on the back of my head. I cringe away from that because it’s embarrassing.’
Sherry thought there were only five cysts on the back of her head, but when Dr. Lee examined her, she saw there were actually six.
To remove them, the doctor would have to make an incision in each cyst and scrape the sacks from underneath her scalp. Risks included infection, bleeding, and the possibility her hair wouldn’t grow back, but Sherry didn’t care.
Plan of action: To remove them, the doctor made an incision in each cyst and then scraped the sacks from underneath her scalp
Smooth: Overall, the surgery was a success, and Dr. Lee expected Sherry’s hair to grow back on her newly smooth scalp
‘I’m going to risk whatever to get rid of them so that I can have some peace,’ Sherry said. ‘If I can get these done and taken care of, first thing I’m going to do is put my hair up and go out.’
‘I’m really ready for this surgery. I don’t want it to hurt anymore,’ she added. ‘I don’t want it to itch anymore. I’d like to see these cysts gone and me move forward in life without no problems.’
Dr. Lee explained that the main risk for the surgery is that Sherry’s cysts will come back if she doesn’t take out every portion of the cyst’s shell.
During surgery, she was able to remove the first five cysts with ease, but the last one was the most difficult because it was deflated.
New woman: Four months later, Sherry said she’s never been happier and has even started dating again
It worked! She proudly pulled her hair apart to reveal her perfectly smooth scalp
‘You just have to be a little more meticulous when the cyst is deflated because the shell is more difficult to separate from the surrounding tissue and the risk of leaving the shell behind can cause this to grow back,’ she noted.
While the cysts looked normal to her, the surgeon said a pathologist would have to look at them under a microscope to make sure they aren’t tumors or cancerous.
Overall, the surgery was a success, and Dr. Lee expected Sherry’s hair to grow back on her newly smooth scalp, which it did. Sherry’s pathology also came back negative; her cysts were benign.
‘It’s been four months since I’ve seen Dr. Lee. I have never been so happy in my life. They’re are all gone,’ Sherry said in her follow-up, pulling apart her hair to show off her smooth scalp.
‘There is no pain. I can sleep at night. I’ve started dating. I’ve been at the lake all weekend. I wore my hair in pigtails with no problem. Nobody’s seeing nothing. I wasn’t embarrassed.
‘I didn’t even have to have her hit me with a Bible to make it go away,’ she joked.