Inflamed hair follicle or HPV?

[chicagoguy89]

A guy I've been dating and I were laying in bed naked one morning and I felt a firm bump on his scrotum near the base of the penis. When I looked, it was slightly raised and a little pink. He said he had a doctor look at them (he told me there were two next to each other but I only saw one large bump) when he'd had an STD screening two weeks prior. The doctor told him they weren't ingrown hairs, but that it looked like inflamed or irritated hair follicles and gave him medicine to speed up the healing process.

I've been worried because I know genital warts can have a variety of appearances and can be confused with other skin conditions. We had fooled around the night before and our genitals had touched quite often though there was no penetration and only brief oral. We also slept naked. I did get the Gardasil vaccine several years ago, but I know that it's not 100% effective. I've had ingrown hairs in the groin area before. They are always red and inflamed and resolve within a few days. Seems odd that his didn't appear red at all and he'd had them for going on two weeks though I don't know what they looked like two weeks ago. He did say they looked better than the week prior, he trims his pubic hair often, and he exercises several times a week. Would just like to get another professional's thoughts on whether this sounds like genital warts or just a mildly severe case of folliculitis. Would it take two or more weeks for an irritated follicle to heal?  

[chicagoguy89]

Thank you for your prompt response to my question. It has put my mind at ease a bit. If you don't mind me asking, what is the basis for your knowledge concerning HPV and other STD's if you're not an MD?

I consider myself to be far more educated than most concerning these matters as I've done a lot of my own research particularly through many of the postings by doctors on this forum. However, when it comes to my own personal experiences like the one described above, I can't help but feel an irrational level of anxiety despite the fact that I've been vaccinated and his doctor told him it was an irritated hair follicle. I hope his healthcare provider knows what he is talking about.

[veryworried420]

I'm not a MD but 2-3 weeks is usual for hair follicle irritations to go away. Since you have had the vaccine and you did not have sex, you should not worry about getting what he may have. He should see a dermatologist and have one of those bumps removed and biopsied. The base of the penis is never covered by condoms and is another reason why safe sex isn't that safe.