What is this bump?!

[littlewing333]

I had a minor infection (boils) on my lower left butt caused by a bike seat. In the healing process, I wore a bandage over the whole area held down with athletic tape. During a bike ride, the corner edge of the bandage (not soft) rubbed against my lower left vagina and now there's a raised, hard, rather large lump there. Is this just chaffing? Is this something I'd need drained? Will it go away on it's own? It's going on five days and there's been no change- neither better nor worse. Same size, same hardness, same pain when touched. It's making it difficult to walk, let alone stay active. Any thoughts/advice?

[littlewing333]

So, that raised, hard bump manifested into a large, golf-ball sized lump. Next to my vagina opening. TALK ABOUT PAINFUL. Like a moron, I had continued to bike through all of this, and despite keeping the area clean, it was only getting worse (wonder why...) Finally, I was convinced it had to be a cyst and my doctor confirmed it, putting me on Bactrim (oral antibiotics) for 10 days, which did the trick. There's still a smidgen of a remainder of the bump left; he said it's not infected and don't need another round of antibiotics though.

My question now is:

-  can I start biking again?
-  If I do, will this be a recurrent problem? I rather enjoy biking my commute; I'd hate to have to give it up.
-  Also, are sebaceous cysts signs of a more serious problem? My doc said no, but he also said it could be the same strain I had in a facial cyst a few months ago. I just want this to go away forever, what can be done to eradicate the problem? Diet, etc? Specific body wash?
-  If the little bumps I had on my butt are scarring, what can I put on them to help that go away? Do I need a skin peel? Or are they permanently there? (Sad face!!)

Thanks again!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From your symptoms, chances are more that these are due to folliculitis. Folliculitis is the inflammation of one or more hair follicles. The condition may occur anywhere on the skin.It starts when hair follicles are damaged by friction from clothing or blockage of the follicle. In most cases of folliculitis, the damaged follicles are then infected with the bacteria Staphylococcus (staph).

Keep the area clean and apply some topical antiseptics. Also wear loose-fitting cotton clothing and use an antibacterial soap or mild soap like dove.Avoid any kind of cosmetics. Topical antibiotics such as mupirocin or neomycin containing ointment are also useful.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.