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Dermatology (Expert Forum)
Not sure if this is folliculitis or herpes
Answered by
Alan Rockoff, MD - dermatology, Child Skin Problems
The Rockoff Dermatology Center
Brookline - MA
This forum is for questions regarding Dermatology issues, such as: skin rashes, acne, birthmarks, skin infections, rosacea, and general skin care.
Not sure if this is folliculitis or herpes
by kenyon1200, Jul 07, 2008 05:45PM
Last weekend I had pretty aggressive sex with my girlfriend, unprotected, multiple times (like in the double digits) over the course of a couple of days. The third day I noticed two hairs a little above the base of my penis that were severely inflamed, looking like there were two big pimples with hairs sticking out of them. I squeezed them thinking they were just a whitehead (i've had these before, although never as severe). I thought maybe they were ingrown hairs, so i pulled both of them out with tweezers, and it seemed to pull out the skin around the area as well. I also shaved that day, thinking that maybe if I got rid of the hair, it would stop the irritation (in hindsight i realize this was probably a terrible move). We had sex again the next day, and then the following day it seemed that more popped up near the originals. For the most part, they are red bumps where my hair follicles are. There are two more at the base where the shaft meets my body that are totally white with small hairs sticking out. I don't see anything at all near the head of my penis, or even above the spot on the shaft where hair doesn't grow.
I've been treating the area with a combination of PFB Vanish and Bacitracin. I'm also going to do a walk-in tomorrow at a hospital here in boston. The bumps tend to be a bit tender, especially when I'm wearing jeans. I feel a little bit of soreness in the lymph area around the groin, but i have to push down with my fingers to feel it at all.
I have had unprotected sex with a couple of partners in the last several months (before we got together).
The things that makes me the most nervous is that the two spots where I pulled the hairs out now have somewhat of a "white non-raised blister" look, and i've heard that can be the case with herpes, but at the same time I think it may also just be a result of pulling the skin out when i pulled out the hair (i was a little bit rough) with it.
Thoughts? Help!
Doctor's Answer
by Alan Rockoff, MD, Jul 07, 2008 08:25PM
, Jul 07, 2008 08:25PM
To: kenyon1200
Doesn't sound anything like herpes to me. It sounds like folliculitis from sweating and friction. By all means show it to a doctor, but leave it alone till you do, so the doctor will be able to tell what it is. This is likely to go away by itself, if you let it.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
Thanks for your response. A couple other things that I noticed today...
They seem to be clearing up a bit, except for the two that I had pulled the hair out from. After I shower, these ones seem to become whitish again.
Also, I'm now noticing burning when I urinate, which is making me even more uneasy since that's a warning sign of an STD. If its not herpes, is it possible that I spread some of the bacteria for whatever is causing the folliculitis into the urethra, causing a UTI? I've had a UTI in the past, and it felt a lot like this.
I'm going to a walk-in today after work.