Folliculitis!

[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!

[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. (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! 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.

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!

[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.

[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. 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!! 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 !!

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.