Acne on the genitals in women: possible causes, symptoms, diagnostic tests and treatment

Women often experience acne in the groin. This is often associated with hair removal and depilation procedures. The skin in the intimate area is particularly sensitive, which is why it is most susceptible to negative manifestations. Allergic reactions are constant companions of hair removal from intimate areas. They can manifest as multiple rashes or single purulent inflammations.

Causes of ulcers

The most common reasons are presented below.

Table. What causes a groin rash:

Characteristics and description of the problem

Pimples on the vagina are one of the symptoms of a disorder in the functioning of a woman’s body. They can cause pain and poor health.

Pimples can have different shapes and colors, as well as localization. There are many reasons for the development of pathology. Some of them are not dangerous, others can provoke the development of serious complications, so it is very important to visit a gynecologist.

About “non-troubling” acne

In some cases, hair follicles—light, dense dots—are mistaken for a rash. But these are completely natural objects of subsequent hair growth, so there is no need to worry or carefully study them.

Acne is also confused with the sebaceous glands, which are hypertrophied in the groin due to thicker skin (when compared with other areas).

Such glands look striking and are easy to notice. If they really interfere, they can be easily eliminated by maintaining personal hygiene, using antibacterial agents and special vitamins. But squeezing out intimate abscesses is strictly not recommended!

How to treat?

Inflamed glands produce ulcers, the color of which can vary from light pink to red.

To treat these ulcers, fairly simple methods are used. First, the skin is thoroughly washed with soap and, as soon as it dries, one of the following procedures is performed.

1. Uses of iodine
   . A piece of cotton wool is soaked in iodine and applied to the pimple for ten minutes. This way the abscess will mature faster.

2. Vishnevsky ointment
   . This remedy is most popular in the fight against acne and boils. Ichthyol ointment is also used. Hydrogen peroxide: antiseptic and drying effect. The entire affected intimate area is treated 2-3 times a day.

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3. Aloe juice
   . It is able to heal purulent formations in just a few days. The leaf of the plant is opened and applied to the groin for three or four days, a plaster is used for fixation. Soon the skin will recover and get rid of the abscess.
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Let us note once again that you should not squeeze out intimate pimples. This is allowed only if the abscesses are fully mature. After emptying the gland from its contents, it must be disinfected.

Now let’s find out why other purulent pimples may appear in the groin.

Prevention

To prevent the appearance of rashes in intimate areas, it is necessary to regularly visit a doctor and promptly treat all identified diseases. If your skin is very sensitive, it is recommended that you avoid shaving your bikini area with a razor. In this case, it is more advisable to use a high-quality depilatory cream.

It is important to pay due attention to hygiene. It is not recommended to carry out activities using soap and special products. The latter contain substances that can increase irritation. It is recommended to perform hygiene using baby soap.

Fat cysts

Wen are rashes that form on the labia of women and in the pubic area due to blockage of the sebaceous glands of the skin. Such formations are called lipomas and are localized directly under the skin due to the increased work of the sebaceous glands, sebum accumulates and leads to blockage of the channels.

The reasons for the appearance of wen include:

• excessive oily skin;
• increased sweating;
• hormonal imbalance;
• abuse of spicy, fatty foods and sweets;
• lack of hygiene;
• use of unsuitable hygiene products
• disturbance of metabolic processes in the body, for example, with diabetes;
• injury to the sebaceous gland (during depilation or active sexual intercourse).

The lipoma or wen must be removed, otherwise the formation of abscesses and even the development of oncology are possible.

According to the place of manifestation

Pimples differ not only in appearance and the reasons that led to their formation, but also in location. Depending on the location of the formation of the rash, special therapy may be carried out, requiring special medications and acne removal techniques. The most dangerous and difficult to diagnose are pimples located on the labia minora and in the vagina.

Pimple on the small lip in women

photo of a pimple on the labia minora in women
Pimples on the labia minora can appear due to the influence of various factors:

• failure to comply with personal hygiene measures;
• abuse of soap during hygiene procedures, which leads to dryness of the epithelium, irritation of tissues and cracks in the skin through which bacteria penetrate;
• herpetic eruptions primarily affect the mucous membranes, which means that quite often they form watery pimples on the labia minora;
• Venereal diseases can also provoke the formation of acne of various types on the labia minora.

If a pimple bothers you, causes itching, burning, or peeling, then you will need the help of a qualified specialist, since it is almost impossible to determine the type of rash on the sebaceous labia from a photo from the Internet.

Vaginal rash

A rash in the vagina is detected during an examination by a gynecologist. This problem is serious and requires careful study and treatment in the future. As a rule, a rash in the vagina in women is formed due to:

1. Inflammatory processes of the Bartholin gland, which is localized at the entrance to the vagina. The causes of inflammation can be a history of gonorrhea, mycoplasmosis and trichomoniasis.
2. A pimple in the vagina is not a simple formation, but can be a boil on the labia or a carbuncle. The reasons for the formation of such growths can be a vaginal cyst, paraurethritis and urethral diverticulum.
3. Herpes virus infection, condylomas and even molluscum contagiosum can be located in the vagina. These diseases are transmitted primarily through sexual contact, which means it is necessary to avoid unprotected sexual intercourse.

There are quite a few types and causes of acne in the vagina. When a formation is detected, diagnosis and treatment should be carried out exclusively by a specialist. For treatment, specific therapy with antibacterial drugs of local and systemic action, immune-supporting treatment is used, and antiseptics are also used.

Genital herpes

The symptoms of this disease appear quite quickly. “Bubbles” appear on the patient’s genitals within a week. O often appear on the lips. The rash causes burning, swelling and itching. Pus accumulates inside the pimples, which is squeezed out after some time, and the resulting wounds become ulcers, although they soon heal.

The condition may worsen with a cold, pregnancy or stress.

Pathology treatment methods

This disease can only be suppressed, but medicine is not yet able to completely cure a person. When herpes worsens, the patient is prescribed antiviral drugs.

Forecast

The prognosis is usually good. The appearance of pimples on the vagina does not always indicate the presence of serious pathologies that can harm health. Sometimes maintaining hygiene, eating right and wearing suitable underwear will be enough. But there are some pathologies, the symptoms of which manifest themselves in the form of acne. They require timely treatment, as they can provoke the development of negative consequences. Only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and develop effective treatment tactics.

Syphilis

One of the most serious diseases of the STD group, you can become infected with syphilis not only through sex, but also through everyday contact. The danger of the disease is that all the symptoms - ulcers on the labia, ulcerative formations on the mucous membrane - can appear only one and a half to two months after infection. At first, the patient may not know about the infection, which is why the disease only worsens in the future. Signs of syphilis include not only ulcers and ulcers, but also sore throat, temperature changes, and general weakness.

How to treat?

The disease is treated with antibiotics (orally and by injection). If the patient is allergic to penicillin, it is replaced with other drugs. The duration of the course depends on the degree of neglect of the pathology.

Bartholin gland cyst

Pathology appears if the excretory duct does not function normally. In this case, the fluid of the Bartholin gland, unable to be excreted naturally, accumulates under the skin and hardens. The bumps that appear can cause discomfort if the gland is infected or the cyst is inflamed. Chlamydia, E. coli, gonococci and staphylococci can lead to the development of the disease.

There is swelling of the labia minora in the area where the cyst appears, body temperature rises, and pain appears.

How to treat?

Antibiotics are used for treatment and can be administered in one of two possible ways:

• by marsupilization;

• through an installed Word catheter.

When should you see a doctor?

Rashes often indicate the presence of a serious illness. Consultation with a specialist is necessary in the following cases:

• Acne does not disappear within 1 week. It does not matter whether they remain externally unchanged, decrease in size, or, on the contrary, progress.
• The rash is accompanied by the appearance of alarming symptoms. These include: itching and burning in the genital area, swelling, unpleasant odor, unusual discharge.
• If the formation of red acne is accompanied by peeling of nearby tissues.
• The rash is watery.
• Single lesions or multiple pimples appeared after sexual intercourse with a new partner. You should be especially wary if a barrier contraceptive was not used during intimacy.
• Against the background of acne formation, body temperature rises and lymph nodes enlarge.
• At the site of the rash, wounds remain that do not heal for a long time.
• Acne causes intense pain.

If these conditions are present, only a doctor will be able to accurately determine the cause of the rash and create the most effective treatment regimen.

Molluscum contagiosum

Molluscum contagiosum is a viral disease. Its main cause is infection with a causative virus that belongs to the smallpox group. This virus can only cause the disease in humans, so molluscum contagiosum is an anthroponosis. Animals cannot be a source of infection, since they are neither carriers nor suffer from this disease.

Treatment of molluscum contagiosum is carried out only in case of reduced immunity, absence of regression of rashes, and also with a high viral load. At the initial stage, observing the skin elements for six months is sufficient, since after this time they can regress on their own.

How to treat?

With a normal immune system, such acne disappears in 2-24 months. Drug treatment is aimed at strengthening the immune system.

It is also possible to perform an operation, which may include:

• cryodestruction;
• electrocoagulation;
• excision.

Video - Treatment of molluscum contagiosum

Watery formations

If there is the appearance of acne with a dense structure that looks like watery formations, this may indicate the development of papillomas. In this case, a person may be infected with HPV or have reduced protective properties of the body, lacking vitamins and minerals in the body.

When pimples with watery contents form, which often burst, they speak of the development of a herpes infection. During this period, the woman is a source of infection, which can easily be transmitted to her sexual partner.

Pediculosis pubis

A disease such as pediculosis pubis has become a very common disease of the dermis, the causative agent of which is pubic lice. And today we will look in more detail at the symptoms and causes of pubic lice in women and men, its treatment and diagnosis. The pubic louse lives and feeds only on humans. Infection with this parasite does not occur from domestic or wild animals. Most often, lice get on the body of a healthy person during sexual intercourse.

How to treat?

Treatment of lice pubis involves removing the hair and treating the skin with special products. After this, the sore spot is thoroughly washed.

If you have not been able to get rid of a pimple on your own within a week, then you need to go to a gynecologist who will tell you which doctor you should see. To prevent the disease (whatever it is) from worsening, you must seek help after the first appearance of an abscess.

Diagnostics

If a pimple appears on a woman's intimate area, you need to consult a gynecologist or dermatovenerologist. At the appointment, the doctor conducts a primary diagnosis, which consists of interviewing and examining the patient. The specialist needs to provide information on how long ago acne appeared on the genitals, whether there are any alarming symptoms (except rashes), and whether there has been sexual contact, especially unprotected, in the last 1-2 months.

After the interview, the doctor examines the patient in a gynecological chair. He evaluates the type, shape, size, pain of acne, the condition of the skin and mucous membrane. Based on the data obtained, the doctor prescribes a set of studies to identify the cause of the rash.

Methods for diagnosing acne on the female intimate area:

• Microflora smear. It is considered one of the most informative methods. The biomaterial is the secretion of the cervical canal, cervix and vagina. Their removal is not accompanied by pain and is well tolerated by patients. Using a smear, you can identify inflammatory processes and diseases at the earliest stage of their development.
• PCR analysis. The biomaterial for research is the contents of the cervix, urethra, cervical canal or vagina. The method is informative regarding any pathogenic microorganisms.
• ELISA. The biological material is venous blood. During the study, the presence of antibodies to various infections is revealed. ELISA is prescribed to detect syphilis, chlamydia and other viral pathologies.
• Scraping Biological material obtained from the vagina, cervix, urethra or cervical canal is placed in an environment favorable for bacterial growth. During the examination, it is possible to identify almost all infections.
• Ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs. Necessary for detecting pathologies of the reproductive system.
• Clinical analysis of blood and urine. It is prescribed to detect diseases of other organs and systems if they are suspected.

The choice of methods is made by the doctor based on his assumptions. In some cases, to make an accurate diagnosis, it is enough to evaluate the results of a smear for microflora.

Preventive measures

It’s not for nothing that in Russia the most proverbs and sayings are about cleanliness. It is she who is not only the guarantee of health of body and spirit, but also the guarantor of your beauty.

• Treat yourself to a new intimate hygiene product with your favorite scent. And let taking a shower become an unmissable pleasure for you!
• Always wash your underwear before wearing them. It is not known who tried it on in the store before you. Instead of three or four cheap synthetic ones, choose one, but high-quality panties.
• Do not crush pimples and do not engage in nonsense in the form of self-medication. Because in some cases, even a qualified specialist will not be able to correct what you are doing to yourself.
• Avoid casual relationships. They won't bring anything good.

White pimples in the vagina

Small pimples may contain purulent contents. When the contents are removed, the acne goes away.

White pimples in the vagina can appear for several reasons:

1. Epilation in the bikini area often leads to skin irritation. Inflammation forms at the site of hair growth, and pimples appear that are filled with a cloudy liquid.
2. Synthetic underwear. This material does not allow air to pass through, the skin sweats, and irritation appears.
3. Hypothermia or overheating of the body. This leads to circulatory disorders, local immunity decreases, which facilitates the penetration of bacteria that provoke the development of acne.
4. STD. Typically, acne due to sexually transmitted diseases is localized near the mucous epithelium. This may be caused by papillomavirus. This phenomenon is dangerous, as in some cases it leads to the development of a cancerous tumor.

HPV manifests itself in the form of warts, papillomas and condylomas, which female representatives often confuse with acne. They are denser to the touch, have an uneven surface, and can be either white or dark in color. Such formations often grow over a short period of time.

4% of people worldwide are diagnosed with hidradenitis, which is a chronic skin condition affecting the sweat glands in the genital and breast areas. With this disease, pimples and spots appear, which over time develop into ulcers with purulent contents. They do not heal for a long time and leave scars behind.