Folliculitis!

[yellow]

OK, I did a search on "ingrown hairs" (fancy term: folliculitis) and didn't find what I need so here goes.

I've got a giant one. Not just a little bump. Mayo Clinic and WebMD aren't helping me out here. I've had little ones before but not like this. I've been able to tolerate it for the last couple of weeks but it doesn't seem to be getting better in spite of my religious application of the recommended home treatment. And it HURTS! It's right where my leg meets my crotch (I'm not sure how to otherwise describe it).

Do I continue to wait for it to go away? Go to the doc? I can't believe there aren't others that have suffered through mega-folliculitis.

Needless to say, I don't think I'm going to do any more hair removal after this incident. Having the hair is better than having the bump.

yell-OW!

[CorsairMac]

ummm......are you sure it isn't a boil? either way you could try lancing it with a sharp instrument (like a sterilized pin).

[snapdragen]

Hmmm, boil was gonna be my guess too....... Tried sitting in a warm bath?

[Irulan]

the folliculitis I've had is systemic and required the use of antibiotics.... what you get when a hot tub is not maintained. Yes, you can say, "ewwwwwww".

Irulan

[slinkedog]

Yellow... I'd try warm compresses. My daughter used to get boils on her legs sometimes and it seemed to help a lot. You may want to let a doctor do the lancing, if it comes to that. Make sure you watch it and if you see red streaks coming out from it get to the doctor FAST... the infection is going systemic at that point.

[Technotart]

From a nurse.... Antibiotics!!!! If left alone, it will create a little pocket of infection which could spread to your bloodstream and infect your entire body! This is called sepsis when this happens and people end up in the ICU for months over sepsis! GO TO THE DOC!!!!!

[RoadRaven]

We deal with ingrown hairs with a needle and tweezers and dig it out, then smear liberally in an iodine based cream.

If the infection is getting bigger/more... def get antibiotics - the groin is too close to arteries - you don't want it becoming blood poisoning.

Good luck

[yellow]

Well, I did lance it but I think there is a big ingrown hair in there, and it doesn't want to come out. I've been very religious with the antibiotic ointment and made sure that needle was super sterilized.

No red streaks, but I'll watch for that. The doc wasn't in today so I'm going to watch it over the weekend and hope they can fit me in next week if it's still bugging me.

I've learned so much about folliculitis, like the fact that there are many different kinds (the one you can get from hot tubs if different from the one men get in their beards, etc.).

OK, I promise I'll watch it closely!

[slinkedog]

Yellow... all I can say is "OUCH!" and I hope it goes away soon!!!

[Pedal Wench]

Are y'all sure it's not a saddle sore?

[RoadRaven]

Saddle sore... good point, I just assumed it was an ingrown hair

Good luck with getting rid of it!

[Tess851]

hmmm, if it's a saddle sore, and given the location, it could be occurring because (a) knicks need to be cleaner - try washing in HOT water with an antibacterial rinse in the machine; or (b) bike set up - may need adjusting as you're not sitting properly on the bike; or (c) your hips or body in general is out of alignment which also means you're not sitting evenly on the bike. In which case, if you find the problem recurs in the same area, go to a chiropractor, physio or osteopath to get put back into alignment, and keep up the antiseptic etc in the affected area.

[yellow]

Well, it's the first one I've ever had with the same ol' setup, so I don't think it's bike fit unless my butt's gotten bigger (which is entirely possible given the amount of almond butter I eat!).

I can see the hair in there, so I'm not thinking it's a saddle sore. It's not a "wound", and looks and behaves like an ingrown hair. It doesn't seem to get any worse with riding, but I know that the riding is probably keeping it at a constant state of irritation. I'm sure it could turn INTO a saddle sore if I were to really lance the heck out of it, which is why I haven't. Still keeping the antibiotic ointment on it and clean and all that. The good thing is that it's no worse after riding 54 miles yesterday and 20 today.

Oh I always, always wear a clean pair of shorts. I never wear them 2x in a row without a full wash!

OK, still watching it and antibiotic-ing it and all that. If I disappear from the board it'll be because either (1) I stop riding and get incredibly depressed and lose all motivation to do anything but sit around and watch the "Life of Birds" DVDs over and over :( :( :( or (2) I keel over :eek: . Heck, I lived with giardia for over a year without realizing what it was, so a nasty little ingrown hair should be nothing, right?! :rolleyes:

[SadieKate]

Heck, I lived with giardia for over a year without realizing what it was, so a nasty little ingrown hair should be nothing, right?! :rolleyes:Was this some kind of new weight loss plan?

[spazzdog]

Can you have a friend pluck the little sucker out of there for you... or your doc?

spazz

[alison_in_oh]

I'm sure it could turn INTO a saddle sore if I were to really lance the heck out of it, which is why I haven't.

But...but...

A saddle sore is like a zit. Teeny tiny microabrasions from chafing with each pedalstroke let bacteria into your follicle where they sit and have a party and make you have a little swollen goopy owwie.

If a saddle sore gets big and bad and the goop builds up it must be lanced in the sense of taking a scalpel and laying it wide open so it can heal without closing those little anaerobes back up where they're happy.

But if you can keep it clean, and dry, and not continue to irritate it, it should (hopefully!) heal itself. If you see a hair in there, you might try to pluck it if you've got a sharp pair of tweezers.

I don't know what all is actually working, but my saddle sore, in about the place you're talking about, is healing. I get out of my chamois immediately after a ride, try to take a shower promptly and use soap with tea tree oil in it on that region. I frequently toss on a skirt after my shower and go around the house "commando" for hours. I keep the area moisturized, mostly with Vaseline Intensive Care (with protective dimethicone) and occasionally with Bag Balm (especially before a ride, it reduces chafing and is supposed to be a little bit antiseptic as well -- I think the lanolin keeps my skin super soft!).

Fingers crossed, knock on wood, I'm healing and I'm not getting any new sores! If yours has gone on this long I bet the doc will heal you up the quickest though!

[yellow]

Well I went to the doc today. It's an ingrown hair and she's not too alarmed about it, though it has turned into what she calls a "cyst". However, since I have a century in 1.5 weeks, she didn't want to remove it and make me not ride (she's so thoughtful ;) ). So I'm going to have it removed after the ride. I'll have a few little stitches and be done with it. I'm apparently not showing any signs of infection, so I'm A-OK that way.

She said oftentimes what people think of as "boils" are caused by the same conditions as what I experienced (ingrown hair, irritation, can lead to infection). She didn't want to lance this given its size and condition; she felt it would be best to remove it (I think her exact term was "scoop it out"). She did tell me it's not as big as my brain thinks it is...it's just in a very sensitive spot! :eek:

[CorsairMac]

good to hear you went to the doc. although it wasn't the news you wanted to hear (minor surgery) at least it's a load off your mind. Did she give you antibiotics to prevent any infection before she can remove it?? I think it's very caring of her to not do anything until after your ride but are you going to be able to ride the century in the next few weeks??

[Irulan]

any word on preventing them in the future?

~I

[yellow]

I was reading back through my earlier post and saw that I failed to include that yes, she gave me antibiotics for the just-in-case case. So now I get to deal with a lovely yeast infection. :mad: (I've only been on antibiotics a handful of times in my life as I'm highly allergic to anything ending in "cillin", and every time they've made me as sick or sicker than condition for which I am taking them. But I'm on the acidophilus to hopefully keep the yeasties under control!)

As far as prevention, she said I may be better off not shaving and instead just trimming. But I already decided I wasn't going to shave as much as I did when I got this one anyhow. It may be conincidental, but this happened after my first full on shave. So perhaps shaving is not for me!

And as far as riding the century, she said that if I can do it, then do it. It's not going to make it any worse. I find that if I'm not on the drops I don't get much pressure on it at all...it's when I'm in the drops and my weight is a little farther forward that I get the zing. So it seems that the solution is to not ride in the drops so much. I think I can do that! :rolleyes: I'm going to do a very long ride on Monday so we'll see how that goes.

[RoadRaven]

Shaving is a tricky thing to maintain/manage in the pubic area and notorious for creating ingrown hairs
It doesn't matter how straight your hair is elsewhere, pubic hair is naturally curly and can curl back on itself even before it starts to grow back out after a shave.
Good call to trim from now on ;)

[nicolezoie]

Trim, but don't shave. I made that mistake ONCE, and had some rather unpleasant experiences that kept me off my bike for 2 weeks. And this isn't just for the ingrown hairs. I gave myself some blisters in *bad* places. Frankly I figure it's better to have a hairy barrier between me and my shorts than no barrier at all. :p

If you're going to the beach or somewhere in a swimsuit, find a pair of cute boardshorts that go well with your swimsuit, and nobody will know the difference.

Hope you feel better soon! :D

[latelatebloomer]

As someone who does not have sisters or many female friends (reclusive artist, don'tcha know), you have NO idea how much I appreciate all the frank talk on this forum. Y'all are saving me a lot of pain and suffering - and causing mucho giggles. :p

[Technotart]

As for the yeast -

While you are on antibiotics you can either put some plain live culture yogurt or an acidophilus capsule in there. (Yes, IN THERE - dip a tampax in yogurt) The capsules are not messy like the yogurt. Do this as often as you need to and for a couple of days after taking the antibiotics.

The reason this works is that when you are on antibiotics, you kill the lactobacillus acidophilus off that usually lives down there. With the bacteria gone, the yeast has a party and goes wild. Putting L. acidophillus back in there keeps the yeast in check again.

Cheap, no chemicals and easy to find - nearly instant relief!

Also - it does help to EAT yogurt while you are on antibiotics because this puts the same bacteria back in your gut and helps prevent the GI side effects that a lot of antibiotics have. Check to make sure though that the antibiotic you are on can be taken with dairy products - some can't.

and don't forget to use backup birth control on antiotics...unless ya like surprises!

[slinkedog]

I've also heard you can use a garlic clove to help cure a yeast infection. You can either tie a peeled clove up in some cheesecloth with a long string to make a "tampon" or just put a plain garlic clove up there if you're confident you can get it back out. I'm not sure how often you're supposed to change it, though. I know there are some websites out there with all this good info.

[SadieKate]

Aaack!! Miss Yellow is very allergic to dairy products - severe gastric distress is just what she needs with a yeast infection. :eek: :eek: :eek: Maybe the topical application is OK. :(

[Technotart]

If you are allergic to dairy, I would stick with the acidophilus capsules - they aren't dairy, just bacteria

[TrekChick]

Ladies, I feel compelled to share my secret for on-the-ride relief. It really works!!! I, too, have gotten the ingrown hair / cyst / boil - whatever you want to call it - right before a century.

This will provide the immediate relief you need: Dr. Scholls Corn Protectors. Seriously!! :D Get the ones with the donout cutout and the little felt covering already in place. They come with a salicilic acid disc for desolving corns - THROW THAT AWAY - DON'T USE IT!! Just put the corn protector cushion over the "bump", and the pressure-point pain will be seriously reduced when you are on the saddle. Taking some ibuprofin before the ride will also help. I made it all the way around Lake Tahoe thanks to Dr. Scholls!!! Note: to remove it after the ride - you must apply water (in the shower is best) to loosen the adhesive - don't try to peel it off without applying water :eek: !!

Wishing you all a happy, pain-free ride!!!
~~~~~TrekChick

[Selkie]

Trekchick---what a great tip :-) Thanks, I've got a century coming up and this hot&humid weather brings on the saddle sores, despite my countermeasures. Who'da thunk it?

[Ionic]

My sister had the same problem with her underarms. She gets horrible in grown hairs. It looks like a lump in her under arm. I didn't even know an ingrown hair could look like that! She was introduced to a product called Tend Skin (www.tendskin.com) and she swears by it. She hasn't really had a problem with ingown hairs since using the product and it cleared up the massive one quickly. I think it's sort of pricey but she thinks it worth every cent! I know she purchases it at various spas around here that do waxing, plucking and such. She tried everything prior to this product and found this was the only thing that really made a difference.

[LED_now]

Hey all; Seeing this thread made me think to make a "public-service announcement" :)
Some info to keep in yo' back pocket thru life... :

If you do find that you have boils (not saddle sores), anywhere on the body - and that they are recurring ... or are particularly large:

Keep in mind that this can be a sign that your Immune System is working overtime trying to get rid of something ...Recurrent infections, such as boils, may indicate an underlying disease or a misfunction of your immune system.

I found this out the hard (and very long) way: Years of tons of mega health issues which turned very serious and the first little sign was - u guessed it - recurring boils, all over my body.
And I'd never even seen a boil in my life.

So .. some info to keep in mind if someone you know ever speaks of painful, problematic recurring boils.

[LucyTollen]

just wondering what sort of disease you could be referring to. i'm not asking what you have yourself, but i'm just starting to think that i have some sort of underlying thing wrong with me that's causing all these cysts but i have no idea what it could be. the doctor i've been going to doesn't have much to say about it; i'm sure if i had health insurance and saw a better doctor i'd be able to have a better conversation about it and maybe getting various tests done to see if there's something i should be worried about.

[Grog]

Wow: there I was, on the edge of my seat, reading about Yellow's ingrown hair... from 2005. It took me until the bottom of the thread to realize how old this was.

I hope it has fully healed by now, Yellow. ;)