folliculitis or herpes

[Rob2163]

Hi Doctor and thank you in advance for your help. I have been getting very worried that I might have herpes for the past few months. I was seeing a girl between the months of october to december of 2005. I used a condom most of the time but did have unprotected sex with her a few times. At the end of november we engaged in unprotected sex and she was on top and rubbed very rough against my pubic region to the point of making the hair pull and start to burn. It was only for a few minutes but we had rough sex on other occasions. I had stopped seeing her but a few days later I noticed that I had what looked like alot of pimples in my pubic hair and a one or two on the base of my shaft. I would say that about all of them had a hair in the middle of them which makes me think it isnt herpes. There was no tingling or soreness at all prior to them and they did not itch or hurt at all. There was a fair bunch of them in my pubic hair but they where not right on top of eachother they where a somewhat apart. If i tried to pop them they would pop quite easily and white puss would come out. They would not scab over and they did not turn into sores. The episode in December lasted I belive for 1 to 2 weeks. They looked exatly the same the whole time and just faded away after a few weeks. I figured it was just a rash or something do to being sweaty so I ignored it.

Fast forward to today  and I am questioning. A few days ago I noticed the bumps appear again in my pubic region and 1 on my shaft and a very big one on my scrotum. I squeezed the one on teh scrotom and it burst open and white puss came out. It did not smell very much and the bump went away the next day without a trace. I have been doing alot of activitys latley and sweating alot down there and sometimes I might go 2 days without a shower, but I dont know if thats teh reasson. The same day I notcied them I took a shower and scrubbed my genital area with anibacterial soap and made sure I was clean. Over the course of the next day or so all the bumps faded away out of my pubic region and evertything looks normal. I did notice today that anotehr small white spot appeared on teh base of my penis but it is I belive the only one I have left. I know you said all herpes cases arnt the same so thats why I am worrying. There is no itching or hurting at all and no sores or open lessions. The episodes were about 4 months apart and I know herpes reoccurs. They have all pretty much been pimple like and I have not rlly noticed any red spots or red open sores, and they all seem to have a hair in teh middle except on the base of my shaft cause i shave it. Can you please please help me doctor. I am only 20 years old and I do not want to have caught a non cureable std so young in life.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I don't think you have.  All these bumps sound like cysts or blocked pores, from sex, sweating, friction, and so forth.  If you still have some of them--or if you get new ones--you should show them to a doctor (without picking at them, of course), so you can be sure once and for all.  Also, it's obviously a good idea to avoid unprotected sex, so you'll have less to worry about.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff