possible std or mc

[feeling002]

I am a 21 year old male. Ihave had about 6 sexual partners and had intercorse with all but 2. About maybe 6 months ago I noticed a little bit of a bump on the low part of my shaft near the pubic hair. I thought I was a ingrown hair so i messed with it like i usually do and it got pretty irritated. It healed up but was still a bump. After a while the bump looked kind of red a little bigger so I squeezed it. Thick white puss came out. Its more then the usually little that comes out of a hair follicle. The puss is really thick all most hard but I think its still puss. The spot is usually red for about 2-3 days and then it fine for about 3 weeks or so until the bump gets bigger again and it really bothers me so I squeeze it. I thought i was just an infected hair follicle so I put neosporin on it like everyday but the bump still comes back. I got tested for herpes and I was equivical for 1 and neg for 2 so I guess thats no it. I was reading online that molluscum contagiosum creates bumps on the genitals and it kind of sounded like my situation. I was wondering if thats what u think it might be or what my options are and what I should do.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

The HPV infections that cause warts on the hands do not infect the genitals.  You do not need to be concerned about transmitting to yourself through masturbation.

The bumps you describe do not sound like HSV either but another episode of folliculitis.  Folliculitis does tend to recur.

The time has come for this thread to end.  If there are new questions you may start a new thread.  EWH

[feeling002]

Hello, after a kind of stressful couple of weeks the area that has the freezing done was pretty much healed and I went to a health department and she looked at it and said that it wasn't at all genital warts but that it was jsut hair follicles and all was normal. Throughout this time was somewhat got myself wored up over stds and had been donig some research and have a couple of questions if that is ok. I was wondering because I have a wart on my hand if I could spread it to my genitals say while masterbating and if that is anything to worry about. I know it sounds a little stupid but i didn't even realize that all warts were hpv. Another thing is that I had a pimple or possible ingrown hair on the inner apart of my butt and i had squeezed it was and pus came out like normal and healed up within a few days. Then a couple of days later i got another pimple in the area where the scrotum and anus meet. Now I know this isn't common herpes symptoms but I read that sometiems it is really mild and goes unoticed because it is mistaken for pimples so I was wondering if I had anything to worry about. I haven't had any other symtoms of any kind. I know it doesn't really sound like anything to worry about I just thought I would ask. Thanks

[Edward W Hook, MD]

At this time, after freezing, it will be hard to tell what is what.  I suspect the current soreness and irritation you are experiencing as a result of the freezing, this is not uncommon.

For more informatiuon on warts and HPV, there is an excellent informational web site run by the American Social Health Association (disclosure, Dr. Handsfield and I are both on the Board of Directors of ASHA).  Just search for AHSA/HPV.  

Please re-read my answer regarding the pus.  You cannot squeeze pus out of warts.  If you scratch and break the skin around warts the skin can get infected but that shows up as pain and redness, not pus inside of the "bumps".  EWH

[feeling002]

Sorry if i seem like a crazy person or a idot but I forgot I also wanted to ask you about the pus thing with warts. I read that Secondary bacterial infection with redness, tenderness, or pus. I have been reading on the internet I don't actually know if there is any truth to that

[feeling002]

Thank you. Well I am suppose to go back in like 4-6 weeks.Now this is really bothering me. I could be just cause i have burns on my penis. When she said that it was warts I was really shocked and didn't know what to say so I was just like are you sure and she said yeah thats what it looks like. I was thinking about calling up my local health department and seeing if they could take a look at it but im not sure if they can tell anything cause now the bumps are all red and inflamed from the freezing. I really usually just trust what doctors say so I really didn't know what to do. Also is there any way to tell during the healing process what it is, or what it would do if it were actually warts. I don't know my mind has kind of been all over the place over this. I guess what I am asking is what I should do next to figure this whole thing out. Another question just cause I really don't know anything about warts, I figured they were kind of like the ones you got on your hand just on your genitals? Anyway thanks for all your help and guidance.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Obviously I cannot comment on her diagnosis but I do agree with you - white, pus-like material does not come out of warts when they are squeezed.  As I said earlier, it is more likely that you had folliculitis (Bacterial infection of hair follicles) or molluscum.  Further, if she could not see what she was treating, she should have asked the doctor to take a look.  It is your right to question her (or a doctor so that you can understnad what is going on - you should do this).  EWH

[feeling002]

I went to a derotoligist and i saw a nurse protiutioner and she said it looked like genital warts. She did the whole freezing thing but i really don't think they are genital warts. This really doesn't make sense to me cause when i squeeze any of the bumps white pus comes out so I figured they were just hair follicles. I was hoping u could shed some light on this cause I feel like i was misdiagnoisied. I have also had these bumps or a long time and the haven't really changed most of the bumps are on the part of my scrotum that connects to my leg. The only thing that is acutally on my penis is the one bump that i could of sworn was just a infected hair follicle. I haven't had many sexual partners and haven't been with anyone in about 8 months. This just really doesn't make sense to me. I also want to add that she had the bottle to freeze with her when she walked into the door before she had seen me at all. Cause as I was looking at my penis i was thinking if she though that was a wart then my penis has been covered in warts my whole life. Im not sure I tend to check myself regularly and I don't ever remembering freaking out about something really changing on my penis. She also couldn't really even find it I kept having to point it out to her. Well I would like to also get information on if this really is genital warts or not. Thank you

[Edward W Hook, MD]

.You've largely answered your own questions.  there are really only two possibilities here - recurring molluscum or recurring skin infections, possibly having originated in a hair follicle.  My guess is that the skin infections are most likely.

Sometimes skin abscesses are difficult to eradicate through squeezing the infectious material out of them.  A few bacteria can persist and then re-generate the abscess/boil which had been present before.  Antibiotics can help to control this tendency to recur by providing complete treatment and eliminating any bacteria which remain behind.  On rare occasions the spot needs to be surgically drained and/or cleaned up.

Alternatively. molluscum can have a white core (it really is more of a core than pus) and can recur as well.  Molluscum tends to be smaller and to have a "dimple" in the middle.  

Either way, you have reached the place where you should get some professional help in managing this once and for all.. Your regular doctor may be able to help and a dermatologist can for sure.  If you continue to treat this as you have, I would not bet that it will resolve any better than it has.  EWH

p.s.  Neosporin is an anti-fungal medication.  I would not expect it to benefit either a bacterial skin infection or molluscum much