Shaving your pubic hair can often create skin irritation and ingrown hairs, resulting in red bumps that can be mistaken for herpes sores. Razor burn is an acne-like rash. Ingrown hairs look like pimples with a yellow center, while herpes sores look more like fluid-filled blisters with clear liquid.
What it looks like. An ingrown hair cyst is a lump beneath the skin. It will not have a visible head and may be red, white, or yellow. The cyst may also be painful or tender to the touch.
Ingrown hairs can look like raised, red, itchy spots on the skin. Sometimes you can see a hair trapped under the skin. You may be more likely to get ingrown hairs if you have coarse or curly hair.
Ingrown hair cysts occur when a hair follicle gets blocked and the hair grows into your skin instead of outward. You should never pop an ingrown hair cyst because it can cause infection and scarring. They may go away on their own, but if they hurt, become red, or ooze pus, see a healthcare provider.
Never pop an ingrown hair cyst, as this can increase your risk for infection and scarring. You also shouldn't try to lift the hair out with tweezers like you might with a normal ingrown hair.
How to identify a cyst. Share on Pinterest Dry skin may indicate that the problem is not a cyst. When a lump appears in an area where there is body hair, it may be because a cyst has formed around an ingrown hair. A person should look for a small red bump with a hair in it that slowly grows into a bigger lump.
In most cases, ingrown hairs usually heal themselves within one to two weeks with only minor irritation, as they eventually release from your skin as they grow longer. Infections can develop around the ingrown hair, causing pus formation, discoloration and pain, though.
An ingrown hair occurs when the hair grows back into the skin instead of upwards in a normal hair growth pattern. This may cause a cyst to build up with fluid over time. You can always tell because they will look like a pimple.
They often appear on areas with more hair such as the scalp, face, trunk, upper back, or groin area. Epidermoid cysts often go away without any treatment. If the cyst drains on its own, it may return. Most cysts don't cause problems or need treatment.
Epidermoid cysts are often found on the head, neck, back, or genitals. They range in size from very small (millimeters) to inches across. They look like a small bump, and the overlying skin can be skin-colored, whitish, or yellowish in color. They're filled with cheesy-like, white keratin debris.
Other possible skin conditions
There are many skin conditions that can easily be mistaken for ingrown hairs. These include: keratosis pilaris ('chicken skin') – a common, harmless condition where the skin becomes rough and bumpy, as if covered in permanent goose pimples. acne.
Often, an ingrown hair will go away on its own. But if it doesn't, you could have: An infection. Darkened skin.
A vaginal boil (also called a furuncle or skin abscess) is a painful, pus-filled bump that develops under the skin in your pubic area. It usually happens when the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (commonly called staph) infects the sacs that contain the roots of your hair and oil glands (hair follicles).
Picking or popping the ingrown hair will only increase your risk of infection because it exposes the follicle to bacteria. Picking the skin can also cause scars. Although ingrown hairs can be uncomfortable at times, they're best left alone. Many cases clear up on their own without any interference.
Genital warts or ingrown hair: how to tell the difference
Sometimes they can be itchy too, which is why people might mistake them for genital warts. However, genital warts look very different to an ingrown hair. Genital warts are flesh-coloured and normally have a 'cauliflower-like' appearance.
While genital pimples can sometimes be confused with herpes, there are also other conditions such as folliculitis that can be mistaken for herpes. Folliculitis is an infection of the hair follicle by a bacteria or fungus which causes the follicle to become inflamed.
These can include: An area on the vulva that looks different from normal – it could be lighter or darker than the normal skin around it, or look red or pink. A bump or lump, which could be red, pink, or white and could have a wart-like or raw surface or feel rough or thick. Thickening of the skin of the vulva.
Vaginal inclusion cysts are the most common. These may form due to injury to the vaginal walls during birth process or after surgery. Gartner duct cysts develop on the side walls of the vagina. Gartner duct is present while a baby is developing in the womb.
Sometimes doctors recognize cysts during a physical exam, but they often rely on diagnostic imaging. Diagnostic images help your doctor figure out what's inside the lump. These types of imaging include ultrasounds, CT scans, MRI scans, and mammograms.
You should never apply medication, including antibacterial ointment, to your vagina without speaking to your doctor first.
Some cysts are cancerous and early treatment is vital. If left untreated, benign cysts can cause serious complications including: Infection – the cyst fills with bacteria and pus, and becomes an abscess. If the abscess bursts inside the body, there is a risk of blood poisoning (septicaemia).