painful growths around bikini line

[shelly416]

I have been getting these painful cyst like growths around my bikini area.  I started getting them about two years ago and the first time I went to the hostpital and they drained it.  Ever since then they still come back and I get them very often.  Even when they aren't as big and painful, I can still feel the lumps and my area always looks bruised.  What are they and how can I get rid of them for good?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

They seem like boils or furuncle. Boils are caused by infection of the hair follicle by staph aureus. Bacterial skin infections can be spread 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 keep the area clean.Drainage of the boil is done only when it becomes soft and forms a head.Take some over the counter pain reliever and consult a doctor for examination and antibiotics prescription.If there are recurrent boils,then pls get your blood sugar levels estimated.

I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Warm regards.

[RJ233]

Shelly, I see the same questions all the time, so you are not alone. Those things look like boils and will have pus and blood come out. Sometimes they are pretty solid. It is from bacteria call staph. Staph can actually be dangerous. It has almost gotten to an epidemic level. I had problems for a long time. In research, including talking to my insurance health practitioner, and infectious diseases, plus medical info on reliable websites, I found a lot. The dr must take a sample of the discharge. This will tell him what antibiotic to use that will get rid of it. There is a type MRSA that is resistant to a lot of the antibiotics. You have to really be careful with any of the staph because it can go through the blood into the chest wall which is usually fatal. Go to the website and it will tell you what you need to know and insist that the dr that sees you take a sample. Some drs say it is contagious, others say it isn't. I can tell you from my own experience it can show up anywhere. I have had them all the way, one after the other, on my eye lid, and in both eyelashes from end to end. I even had one in my rectum. I think that one hurt the worse of all. See your dr and take care of it as soon as you can, but be sure to get him to have a sample analyzed. Let me know how things go for you. RJ

www.mayoclinic.com