What goes 'red bump' in the night

About a year ago I developed several red bumps over various areas of legs, rear, and genitals.  I also developed similar bumps in my armpits, and once on an arm and foot.  I was in fine health this entire time.  I had been sexually active with the same person for almost a year at that point.  The area would itch slightly, and then red bumps would appear, slightly raised, sometimes with a slight head to them.  On my groin it was like a slight knot in the skin.  The area around them would be slightly itchy too.  Then they would slightly flatten, turn a darker, deeper red, then vanish.  Various ones appeared regularly for about 2 months, never more than 1-2 at a time.  No scabbing, no liquids, no burning.  They lasted a week tops, some never even irritated me.  I had my bedroom fumigated since I suspected bed bugs (the bumps always seemed to appear in the morning), and after that nothing happened for the next 10 months.  But 3 weeks ago I had something very similar, two bumps about 2 inches apart on the border of my pubic hair.  They weren't in the exact region as any of those before.  They itched, and one had a slight head to it.  I also got a bump on my lower leg and armpit (the leg was diagnosed as a spider bite, and acted the same as the others with initial itchiness, darkening, then fading), but my doctor didn't think the other two looked like bites (no puncture) but had faded too much to test.  He thought one had a definite head, almost like a pimple.  My doctor asked if I'd had any new partners, I said I'd been celibate for over a year.  He didn't think it looked like herpes, (no blistering) but couldn't be sure.  I'm very open with this past sexual partner.  I have had a past exposure to HPV, but my doctor didn't think these were symptoms of that.  So I'm seeing if any of these descriptions rings a bell with you!  My reactions to insects have grown quite extreme the last few years (my doctor looked at a mosquito bite on my arm that was so inflamed it didn't itch, it hurt!).  I had a similar skeeter bite on my thigh (where he did see a puncture), and he thought it was possible the red bumps might be system reactions to the bites elsewhere on my body???

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

When people show me fleeting red bumps all over the place, my usual diagnosis is folliculitis.  This is common, and hard to explain.  If you looked under the microscope at these bumps, you would see bacteria and inflammation.  Cause is unknown, it is not contagious, and the bumps go away by themselves (but bedbug bites last for days, not just a few hours.)

This certainly sounds like neither an STD nor a systemic reaction to an insect bite.

I'd advise you what I tell my patients--unless these bumps are swollen or painful, I'd ignore them.  They mean nothing.  After a while, they just stop coming.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff