“Doctor, I’ve got a pimple down there and it’s painful!”
“Ok, did you shave your vagina?”
“Yes, I did.”
That’s how patients come to us most of the time.
Vulvar acne is a common condition like acne on any other parts of the body. However, it can be very painful and causes discomfort to women. Some common causes include:
Folliculitis is an infection of the hair follicle. When the hair grows out of the follicle it curls inward and grows into the skin which causes irritation and infection. It is usually caused by shaving, waxing, wearing tight undergarments, friction and humid weather.
These days the market is flooded with many scented products which are impregnated with chemicals. These chemicals can irritate the vulva and produce inflammation and infection.
This is a viral infection that can cause lesions anywhere on the body including the genital area. The lesions appear as small pink blebs with a pit in the centre and can become itchy red and swollen. It usually resolves by itself without any scarring within a period of 6 months to 1 year.
It is a painful chronic skin condition that causes multiple abscess and scarring on the skin. It causes a mixture of boil like lumps, blackheads, cysts, scarring, and channels in the skin that leak pus. They tend to occur again and again, and need constant management.
Vulvar acne or a pimple on the vagina is as common as any problem and like every problem it has several solutions. The best part is some of the solutions lie in your hand – a little cleanliness and some help does the trick.
