What determines if the pus in a pimple/cyst is liquid or more solid?
In: Biology
The other answer makes no sense. The real answer is that a cyst and pimple are different things. A pimple is a tiny collection of bacteria and pus due to a blocked gland that becomes infected because all the bacteria are trapped inside. The pus is a mixture of fluid from inflammation and dead white blood cells. This can go from thicker goop to thinner goop but is always somewhat liquid. Most commonly cysts are trapped bits of cells that aren’t necessarily infected. The contents of these cysts are more solid because it’s mostly dead skin cells that instead of being shed off into the world are being shed into the cyst.
There is obviously a lot more to it and a lot of caveats but this is ELI5
I am not a dermatologist so can’t go into specifics, but it pretty much depends on the type of pus. If it is more liquid, it has more water content. Pimple is a [comedo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedo), pus is a [exudate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exudate) and cyst is an [abcess](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscess)
So far these are all somewhat incorrect.
Usually pus = more cells. Pus means there are neutrophils, an inflammatory cell (white blood cell) important for cleaning up dead stuff and killing bacteria.
If it’s more liquid, it’s more fluid, with fewer cells. Maybe a pore is blocked and so oils and fluid accumulates. If it gets bacteria and lots of dead cells and keratin (think the stuff your nails are made of), you may get inflammation and accumulation of pus if it can’t drain
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