Red Swoll

Hi Everyone....okay so I am going to be fifteen next month, but for the past year or so I have been getting these huge red swollen bumps, on the inner part of my upper thighs. Like I said; red and swollen, and they are very sensitive to touch. Sometimes, if enough heat is applied, I can pop them, but they never fully do the job. When they pop by themselves, it is very painful and they leave a purple-ish colored scar.  I was taken to the doctor and given silver sulfa-date, but it has done nothing. I also went to the dermatologist and she gave me some soap to wash them out with, and cream, but the cream is $200 for a tube, and that's not the kind of money ANYONE has to spend each time they appear (besides the cream didn't work anyways...). Lately, I have tried putting baby powder on them, but it hasn't done any spectacular job, and they are still appearing! Does anyone have any ideas or remedies to get rid of these? ANY help is SO much appreciated! Thanks so much (and sorry for the length).

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms that you are having, they sound like boils or cysts. Boils are caused by infection of the hair follicle by staph aureus. Hair follicles that are blocked by greasy creams, petroleum jelly, or similar products are more vulnerable to infection. The bacterial skin infection can be transmitted by shared cosmetics or washcloths, close human contact, or by contact with pus from a boil or carbuncle. Apply warm compresses on the boil and then clean the site thoroughly by topical antiseptics. Then apply some topical antibiotic cream like Bactroban or Neosporin if you are not allergic to any of them. If the symptoms are severe then oral antibiotics and incision and drainage may be needed. Recurrent boils are commonly found in diabetes, disorders of the immune system, malnutrition, poor hygiene and exposure to harsh chemicals that irritate the skin. So you should also get your blood sugar levels estimated. You can get fasting blood sugar levels and post prandial blood sugar levels estimated to check your status of diabetes.

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 dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[sonoroho95]

thank you soo much! you have no idea how this helps, and i especially want to thank you for including where these commonly occur! it is a little more relaxing to know what they are exactly! :) thank you again!!

[Dr J Singh]

Hi,

Thanks you for your kind words. Wishing you a speedy recovery and healthy life. Regards.