FOLLICULITIS OR GENITAL HERPES

[kudos]

I HAVE BEEN SO STRESSED OUT FOR ABOUT A WEEK WONDERING IF I HAVE HAD AN STD FOR YEARS AND DIDN'T KNOW.  IT ALL STARTED WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL ABOUT 16-17 YEARS OLD, EVERY NOW AND THEN I WOULD GET A BUMP OR WHAT FELT LIKE A LUMP UNDER MY SKIN IN MY PUBIC AREA. IT DID ITCH AT FIRST. WELL I USED TO POP IT WITH A PIN ( I KNOW NOT GOOD) AND PUS  WOULD COME OUT AND IT WOULD BE A HARD SPOT THAT I COULDN'T SEE BUT COULD FEEL UNDER MY SKIN, AND GO AWAY. I BRUSHED IT OFF AS NOTHING, CAUSE I WAS YOUNG AND DUMB, AND NEVER GOT THEM ANYMORE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.  I HAVE FELT THE SAME THING UNDER MY ARM ALSO.  WELL I'M NOW MARRIED WITH KIDS, AND IN MY MID 20'S.  I HAVEN'T HAD ONE SINCE ABOUT 16-17, SO I NEVER THOUGHT ANYTHING OF IT.  UNTIL AFTER I HAD MY SECOND BABY, ABOUT THREE WEEKS LATER, I WENT TO AN EVENT WHERE IT WAS VERY VERY HOT, AND I SWEATED A LOT, AND I WAS SOAKED BY THE TIME I GOT HOME INCLUDING MY UNDERWEAR.  SO WHEN I TOOK A SHOWER THAT NIGHT I NOTICED I WAS GETTING ONE OF THOSE BUMPS.  SO I KIND OF IGNORED IT, KNOWING NOW THAT POPPING IT WITH A PIN, WASN'T GOOD.  IT ONLY GOT BIGGER AND MORE PAINFUL.  AFTER ABOUT TWO WEEKS OF AGONIZING PAIN, I WENT TO THE ER, THE DOCTOR EXAMINED IT AND PULLED OUT A LONG HAIR, HE ALSO MADE AN INCISION AND DRAINED IT, AND SAID IT WAS AN INFECTED HAIR FOLLICLE.  I ASKED HIM WHAT CAUSES THIS AND HE SAID SOMETIMES POOR HYGIENE.  AND I'M VERY VERY CLEAN, AND SELF CONSCIOUS.  MAYBE NOT AS MUCH IN HIGH SCHOOL AS I AM NOW.  AFTER THAT I TOOK HIS ADVICE UNTIL I GOT ONE TWO WEEKS AGO, AND I PULLED THE HAIR OUT AND IT WENT AWAY LEAVING THE HARD SPOT AGAIN, WHICH GETS SMALLER EVERYDAY.  I WENT ONLINE, SEARCHING FOR INFO ABOUT CAUSES OF BUMPS IN THE PUBIC AREA, AND IT ALWAYS GOES TO GENITAL HERPES.  BUT I OR MY HUSBAND HAS NEVER HAD ANY OF THE THINGS IT DESCRIBES, SORES, BLISTERS, FEVER, FLU SYMPTOMS ANY OF THAT, BUT SOME OF THE SITES SAY ANY BUMP IN THAT AREA COULD BE HERPES.  I HAVE JUST BEEN TERRIFIED, THAT I HAVE HAD SOMETHING FOR YEARS I WASN'T AWARE OF.  I JUST WOULD LIKE SOME GOOD ADVICE ON WHAT THIS ACTUALLY SOUNDS LIKE. (ALSO MY HUSBAND SAYS HE'S HAD THEM BUT HE'S BEEN GETTING THEM EVERY SINCE HE HAS GOTTEN PUBIC HAIR, AS WELL AS UNDER HIS ARM, SO WE HAD EXPERIENCES WITH THEM BEFORE WE MET EACHOTHER)

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP

[hypo12]

A related discussion, hard bump under skin on pubic area is this herpes was started.

[kudos]

I ALSO FORGOT TO MENTION, THAT WHEN THIS HAPPENS THERE IS ONLY ONE BUMP, AND ONLY WHERE THERE IS HAIR, NO OTHER AREAS!!

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

This certainly is not herpes.  Ingrown hairs come not from poor hygiene but most often from removing the hair for appearance purposes.  The hair then curls under the skin.  The best approach is either to not remove the hair, or else to laser it away so you won't have to.  But what you don't have to do is to worry that you have herpes now or that you've had it all along.  The bump under the skin left over from inflammation will take care of itself.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

P.S.  It's best, by the way, not to use ALL CAPS in e-mails . . .