Question:
Painful bump on the right side of my vulva.?
I've only noticed this bump for 2 or 3 days, and in my opinion, it's grown alarmingly big. If I pinch the skin of my vulva around it, it's approximately as big as the tip of my thumb... maybe 1 or 1.5 centimeters in diameter? I'm not sure what it might be... I haven't had it checked yet since I've only had it for 2 or 3 days, and I'm not sure if it's serious. I've read up here and there that it might be an ingrown hair or a cyst of some sort, but I'm not sure. It's really painful when I touch it, and there's nothing to indicate that it might be a pimple. It's nearer to my thigh than it is to the opening of my vagina, so there aren't many hairs on it at all. I am not sexually active, so I doubt that it might be an STD. I also haven't shaved in more than 2 weeks, so I'm unsure of the possibilities of it being an ingrown hair. Just in case age DOES matter, I'm 17. Does anybody know what this might be? I'm really worried about it.
Answers:
It sounds like it could be an ingrown hair. Ingrown hairs can be extremely painful, in that area especially. There's a product called Tend Skin that's great at getting rid of ingrown hairs, but it's about $20 a bottle. Ingrown hairs don't usually go away on their own, especially ones that are really bad. Sometimes you can squeeze the hair out, which will make it go away, but I don't think that would be a good idea on a painful and inflamed one. Try dabbing a little bit of alcohol onto the area and see if that helps it. If it gets worse and/or doesn't get better within the next week, definitely see a doctor if you can.