REd bump on base of penis

About a week ago I had a red bump at the base of my penis.  It was shiny red and there was a hair coming out of it so I assume it was an infected hair follicle.  It went away and yesterday I was at the gym and after running a couple mile I had two more red bumps on the side/lower base of my penis.  These too are on the edge of the pubic region.  One looked a little different than the other in terms of a little bigger and stuck out more.  I freaked out and tried popping it, and at first milky puss,blood came out. When I got home I tried popping it more and then clear fluid,blood came out.  I left it alone until morning and when I woke up it had a little bit of a scab on it.  The other one is barely noticeable now, but the one I tried popping must have gotten irritated and now had a scab on it.  It doesn't hurt at all, there was no pain beforehand and there is no itching sensation either.  What could this be?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like an infected hair follicle causing folliculitis or clogged pore. Folliculitis is the inflammation of one or more hair follicles. Please keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics and warm compresses. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove. Avoid any kind of cosmetics. Topical antibiotics such as mupirocin or neomycin containing ointment are also useful. In case the symptoms persist then oral antibiotics may be needed. Please consult a dermatologist in that case.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.