Pimple on buttocks

[worriedabroad]

Doctor, two or three days ago I felt a pimple-like growth on my buttocks, where the buttocks meets the thigh.  I noticed it solely because it was painful to sit on.  I have in the past few years had some acne down there, which sometimes causes pain when I sit.  That night I examined it and it appeared to me like a pimple.  I then popped the growth, which contained some puss-like material and bled a little bit.  Since then, the lesion has scabbed over.  I have not had any new growths show up since then, but in looking at the Internet I am now worried, as Herpes lesions can appear on the buttocks.  I only have the one growh, and it appears to be healing.  It does not itch, tingle or hurt normally -- only when I'm sitting on it, which still brings some discomfort.  I have not had any Herpes lesions before.  Does this sound like Herpes to you, or rather folliculitis, a boil, or something else?  Would Herpes always itch?  Would it usually be a cluster of blisters?  Thanks and sorry for my paranoia --  hope you can help.

[lope]

Every month I have a break-out of small puss like white bumps on my right thigh just below my buttocks. What is this? and could it be related to gonorrhea?

[concerned81]

I actually went to my local std clinic to have white bumps around my anus diagnosed. The doctor said she found a tiny gential wart on my penis, sprayed it(cryo)and it went away. She sprayed the bumps on my anus and they never went away. I know Ive gotta go back, but could it be a misdiagnosis of the anal bumps? Could the white bumps on my anus be hemmeroids? I also have the clusters of small white bumps on my upper lip . I noticed those first about a year ago and now Im seeing more. Im in an absolute state of panic and dont have any insurance to be treated.

[Da-STEVE]

Doctor, I have a slite pimple issue on my buttox, not really too bad... It started a couple yrs ago (months after haveing conceived actions with a partner), but i notice this year(when shaveing certaint areas) that i had a overly larger pimple at the bottom of my crouch area closer to my penis and sack. So I popped it and little puss came out and their was exses bleeding.      But still about 6-months alter,  I have that same pimple and it hasn't decreased in size or nothing.
I have not managed any typed of deseases {that I AM awear of}, and I really lack in knowlegd of many STDs, and wondered if this sounds, (from the info I'm giving), like a STD?

note: I've never been on this site before....

[worriedabroad]

Thanks for your response -- it certainly explains the difference assessments on the Internet.  The pimple is healing, with the scab now falling off.  I noticed scars from others pimples in the region, so hopefully it's just another one.  It seems like this skin problem is limited to the exact area where I sit.  Is this a common place to have a pimple?  I'm really hoping you're right about the lottery.  Thanks again for all you do here.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The reason other sites say such transmission is "possible" is purely theoretical:  it is easy to imagine such a scenario, and many producers of education materials, web managers, etc have a CYA attitude.  It's sort of like putative like toilet seat transmisison: you can paint HSV onto toilet seat surfaces, then go back a few hours later and successfully culture the virus from the seat, so "of course" it could be transmitted that way.  But what theoretically can happen doesn't necessarily actually  happen with measurable frequency.  In 30+ years in this business, I have never seen a case of genital (or like you, genital area) herpes acquired manually or from a toilet seat.

So CAN it happen?  Probably.  DOES it happen?  Not frequently enough to worry about.  DID it happen to you?  I can't rule it out, but your odds of winning the next lottery are higher.  Pimples occur all the time; it probably has nothing whatever to do with the sexual encounter you are concerned about.

Having said all that, since you are a sexually active adult, the chance you have an HSV-2 infection probably is at least 25% (those are the odds in the U.S.).  If you're all that worried, get a HerpeSelect HSV-2 test and you'll know for sure.  But if it's positive, it won't necessarily mean that particular lesion was due to herpes.\

HHH, MD

[worriedabroad]

You should know that this pimple occurred 5 weeks after what you have called a no-risk encounter (manual stimulation from a risky person for a very short amount of time with no other contact -- she was clothed).  I realize you have said there's no risk, but other sites seem to say it's possible, albeit unlikely.  If I was touched on the genitals, and not the buttocks, would it ever be possible to have the virus show up on the buttocks first?  I have had no visible problems or sensed anything strange on the genitals, and I have been checking constantly.  The timing of this new pimple, even though I've had others before, is what's concerning me most.  I'm definitely very very worried.  I probably need a psychologist more than an STD doctor at this point.  Any comments you could give me would be a big help.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

It sounds like a pimple, not herpes--both by your description of the lesion, its location, and lack of other lesions.  Don't worry about it.

Good luck-- HHH, MD