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Razor rash? Folliculitis?

I'm not sure of the proper heading for this question, so I put "other." Here's my situation: a week and a half ago I shaved my pubic area. I had minor irritation (redness, small bumps) that I assumed was razor burn. I rubbed a dime-sized amount of body lotion around my vulva to sooth the skin just after I shaved.

My problem is that I still have about twenty small, red dots in my groin area. They are the size of pimples, they don't hurt or itch, a couple are slightly raised but most are flat (look more like red marks than bumps). I only have them in the hair-bearing area where I shaved (on the outside vulva, not the inside labium). When they were still there a few days after I shaved, I assumed they were lingering razor bumps, but as I said it's now been a week and a half and they haven't all completely disappeared. Is folliculitis a possibility?

Some other facts:
1) I am currently sexually active, though practicing safe sex (no slip ups or broken condoms).
2) I have never been with a partner with genital lesions or sores.
3) The bumps/marks/rash I have don't open; they don't puss or burst or bleed.
Best Answer
277836 tn?1359666174
You have razor rash thats it..... Give it a week it will clear itself up.... No worries for STDs here ok?
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Avatar universal
Another bout of razor-rash. About 5-6 marks, most of them slightly red, flush with the skin (not raised), and about the size of a ball point pen-head. There's one bump, however, that's giving me some concern. It think it may be an ingrown hair: I've had it for several weeks; it first appeared as a small whitehead. I tried popping it, thinking it was a pimple. It didn't pop, so I left it alone. It wasn't bothering me and I forgot about it. I shaved my pubic area again and noticed the bump was red and irritated. It was raised and still looked pimple-ish, but the head was no longer white, it was red. I tried a different tactic: two days in a row, I treated it with a hot compress for about a minute before I went to bed and it improved dramatically. The "swelling" went down and it too became almost flush with the skin around it. The redness was reduced as well. However, today at work I went to the bathroom to check on it and found a dried, clear layer of pus (or something like) covering it. I removed the dried layer gently and now the bump looks like a tiny red pin-prick. Is this the normal life cycle of an ingrown hair? Or a particularly bad razor bump? Any input welcome! Thanks!
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1 Comments
Hi.  It has been five years since your post.  But this info might be useful to others.  If your rash is white bumps rather than red bumps, then this may be bacterial folliculitis.  This would also explain the persistence of the rash.  Bacterial folliculitis is often caused by Staphylococcus aureus which can get into your skin when you use an infected razor.  A doctor or nurse practitioner in your local urgent care shop will be able to prescribe antibiotics for this, and to recommend prevention strategies.
277836 tn?1359666174
Yes its so easy to do I have to admit it happens to us all at anytime.... I am glad you finally accepted the fact it wasnt anything but that.. And Hi Five for going to ur doc because thats were the real relief is they say what they think...
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Avatar universal
Updates: The razor rash has faded considerably after I 1) rubbed vitamin E oil around my groin area before bed, and 2) stopped worrying about it. I'll be keeping an eye on it to make sure it disappears completely over the next few days, but I'm no longer worried that it's anything more than razor-induced. Thanks for the encouragement.

After the trip to the gyno yesterday, my doc said everything looks fine. (I didn't mention the "lump," as that had gone away as well. Amazing what a little stress relief can do!) He drew blood and took a urine sample for testing and I'm now only awaiting those to come back. Overall, I'm feeling much better about the situation and realize I was letting my hypochondria get out of control.
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277836 tn?1359666174
U welcome anytime...
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Avatar universal
Thanks!
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277836 tn?1359666174
Sometimes it can.. Keep the area clean and sometimes it just takes time for things like this to clear up..... Hang in there all is good...
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Avatar universal
Thanks so much for the swift response. So it's normal for razor rash to last 1.5 - 2 weeks? That's my major concern; I feel like they should've disappeared by now.
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