Red painful bumps under armpit

[reddress55]

I woke up yesterday and noticed pain under my right armpit.  I felt my armpit and found hard bumps or lumps and they are pea-sized and painful to the touch.  There is about 10 under the right armpit.  The skin is slightly red and I also have them under my left armpit, but only about 5 of them.  They are painful to the touch as well and slightly itchy.  The pain feels prickly and tender and it hurts more when I move my arm.  I also have some red bumps just above my armpit around the area where your arm is connected to your chest, but they don't itch or hurt at all.  I thought maybe it was some sort of heat rash but the pain in both my armpits seems to be getting worse.  I'm on my second day and they don't seem to be subsiding at all.  I've looked up hidradenitis suppurativa, but the symptoms and pictures I have seen of it seem extreme and mine doesn't look that bad.  Just really painful.  What could this be?

[veteranchuck]

I had to stop using antiperspirants because they caused  lumps in my armpits. Now I only use deoderants.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like folliculitis and boils. Folliculitis starts when hair follicles are damaged by friction from clothing or blockage of the follicle. In most cases of folliculitis, the damaged follicles are then infected with the bacteria Staphylococcus (staph).

Please keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove. Avoid any kind of cosmetics and do not pop the pimples. 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. Also then get herpes ruled out.

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.

[Davidph3]

I have had these bacterial caused bumps.  Cortisone cream twice a day gets rid of them.  Doc also gave me an oral prescript for the first few I had.   When they appear infrequently now I use Cortaide topically.

[katiebugg06]

I also have these and more and more are showing up I've done every thing and one of them are like the size of a large grape someone please tell me what I should do