Pimple in sensitive area?

November 5, 2008 10:12 PM

I have what seems like a flesh-colored pimple in a sensitive area.

It's in my groin area (I'm a 25-year-old man) underneath some pubic hair, and it's probably half the size of a dime. It feels like a small lump that extends a little beneath the surface of the skin. I can't feel anything if I just touch it, but if I push it harder, then it hurts a bit (just as pushing a pimple might). It does not look as if it's pus-filled. I'm not sexually active right now and have not been for quite a while.

What worries me slightly is that it's been there for several weeks now without going away.

Anyhow, what is this likely? A pimple? A boil? Ingrown hair? Is it a problem or will it go away by itself?

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

I'm no doctor, but there's a possibility that it's a tumor. I think you should have your doctor check it out just to be sure.
posted by cmchap at 10:22 PM on November 5, 2008

Sebaceous cyst
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:30 PM on November 5, 2008 [2 favorites]

It could be a lot of things, including an ingrown hair, a boil, or a pimple. Cyst is less likely, and tumor even less likely still. You definitely want to get it checked out, because it could be a skin infection. Skin infections (including MRSA) are most common in the nose, face area, armpits, and groin. I had similar symptoms but in my eye area when I had a staph infection in my skin.
posted by fructose at 10:45 PM on November 5, 2008

I worded that wrong, you would get it checked out due to the possibility of something other than skin infection, too.
posted by fructose at 10:51 PM on November 5, 2008

I've got something that sounds like that on my left thigh. It's been there for years.
posted by jockc at 11:08 PM on November 5, 2008

Could it be one of these? They tend to develop in "sensitive areas".

Anyway, yeah, you should see a dermatologist just to make sure it's nothing more sinister.
posted by arianell at 12:00 AM on November 6, 2008

Probably an ingrown hair, but those can last fooooooooooorever if you don't clean them out.
posted by timoni at 12:43 AM on November 6, 2008

Could also be a groin hernia, if it's located on your centerline.

But see a doctor.
posted by IAmBroom at 5:56 AM on November 6, 2008

I'm thinking, in order: ingrown hair, pimple, boil. Most of them are irritating, and the last one can get very unpleasant. (I know; I had a boil in my groin area that I was self-treating spontaneously release its contents, and I needed a doctor's visit and two weeks of antibiotics to deal with the results.)

I recommend a doctor's visit, or at least a phone call to consult.
posted by mephron at 6:12 AM on November 6, 2008

I've had something very simliar which turned out to be a severely infected ingrown hair. It was so deep the doctor ended up using dry ice on it (as they would with warts, though it was not a wart). Haven't had problem since. Just quit mucking with it and go see the doc. They'll fix you up.
posted by sunshinesky at 6:17 AM on November 6, 2008

ps: I say go to the doctor, because I had hoped it would "just go away" for months. It just got worse until I went and saw someone.
posted by sunshinesky at 6:19 AM on November 6, 2008

Could be an ingrown hair -- I had one that was similarly lumpy.

Could also be a milia, which is more pimple-like. See a doctor to make sure and he or she will probably squeeze it out for you.
posted by pised at 6:55 AM on November 6, 2008

I had a staph infection that sounded like this. Strong antibiotics took care of it. But you won't know til you see a doctor. I expect it will be a fairly easy diagnosis in person (mine took about 30 seconds), but a nearly impossible diagnosis to make online.
posted by desjardins at 9:05 AM on November 6, 2008