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Suggest Treatment For Blisters In The Vaginal Area
Question: I blister like abrasions on the outside of my vagina. At first I thought the 1st one was from a scrape with a razor it was at the top of my leg and the razor slipped, but now a second one has started nearer my vagina. I had this once before (only one) and my doctor tested for all types of stud including herpes and said I was negative for them. Said maybe from weight gain and tight clothing. Could this be the case??? I recently got married and am a little freaked!
Brief Answer:
Hair removal can cause skin problems of the vagina and vulva
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Hair removal of any type can cause reactions in your skin around the vagina and vulva. Shaving can introduce small cuts on or around the hair follicle which can introduce bacteria, which is called folliculitis, and that can produce a red, pus filled bump. Topical antibiotic ointment can treat this, as you have before, along with warm compresses and time. To help reduce the risk of problems from shaving, shaving in the same direction that the hair grows or trimming it short with a trimmer instead of shaving can help prevent this problem.
However, herpes can also cause sores around the vagina and vulva that come and go at irregular times. The only way to be sure you do not have herpes is to get a blood test called a herpes type-specific antibody test. A culture from a sore if taken at the wrong time can still be negative, however if you have the blood test that shows you have previous exposure to the type 2 herpes virus it means you contracted the virus at some point in your life. The test is available in the U.S. and Canada and may be available elsewhere. O suggest you ask your GYN doctor about it because if you get the bumps in the exact same place multiple times it is a symptom consistent with herpes.
So in summary, it is most likely that you just have an infection from shaving, but herpes is still a possibilty, but a blood test called a herpes type-specific antibody test can tell you for sure.
I hope I adequately answered your question and that this information was helpful. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely, Dr. Brown
Hair removal can cause skin problems of the vagina and vulva
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Hair removal of any type can cause reactions in your skin around the vagina and vulva. Shaving can introduce small cuts on or around the hair follicle which can introduce bacteria, which is called folliculitis, and that can produce a red, pus filled bump. Topical antibiotic ointment can treat this, as you have before, along with warm compresses and time. To help reduce the risk of problems from shaving, shaving in the same direction that the hair grows or trimming it short with a trimmer instead of shaving can help prevent this problem.
However, herpes can also cause sores around the vagina and vulva that come and go at irregular times. The only way to be sure you do not have herpes is to get a blood test called a herpes type-specific antibody test. A culture from a sore if taken at the wrong time can still be negative, however if you have the blood test that shows you have previous exposure to the type 2 herpes virus it means you contracted the virus at some point in your life. The test is available in the U.S. and Canada and may be available elsewhere. O suggest you ask your GYN doctor about it because if you get the bumps in the exact same place multiple times it is a symptom consistent with herpes.
So in summary, it is most likely that you just have an infection from shaving, but herpes is still a possibilty, but a blood test called a herpes type-specific antibody test can tell you for sure.
I hope I adequately answered your question and that this information was helpful. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely, Dr. Brown
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Can the blood test be taken at any time, or just when there's a symptom? Also the blisters are in different areas at the different times. Does this also make a difference?
Brief Answer:
You can do the blood test anytime, and it is the only way to know for sure
Detailed Answer:
If the blisters are in different areas at different times it is less likely to be herpes, but the blood test will be positive anytime after 6 weeks of exposure- meaning
If the blood test is positive, it means you caught genital herpes some time at least 6 weeks ago.
I have had patients who only started getting outbreaks in their late 50s and 60s when they knew they contracted herpes in their twenties. So you could have had this for years and it only started acting up recently. Herpes can have different symptoms in different people, so without doing a physical examination and tests it is really impossible to tell for sure.
Just make sure the doctor you see has some experience with STD diagnosis and treatment, because many doctors still do not know there is a blood test specific for Type 2 Herpes (the genital kind) and will tell you they need you to have a sore that they can culture. That used to be true but is outdated information.
Again there is a good likelihood that this is just from shaving, but just to make sure, the test will help tell the difference.
I wish the best of luck with your situation, and let me know if you need any further assistance,
Sincerely, Dr. Brown
You can do the blood test anytime, and it is the only way to know for sure
Detailed Answer:
If the blisters are in different areas at different times it is less likely to be herpes, but the blood test will be positive anytime after 6 weeks of exposure- meaning
If the blood test is positive, it means you caught genital herpes some time at least 6 weeks ago.
I have had patients who only started getting outbreaks in their late 50s and 60s when they knew they contracted herpes in their twenties. So you could have had this for years and it only started acting up recently. Herpes can have different symptoms in different people, so without doing a physical examination and tests it is really impossible to tell for sure.
Just make sure the doctor you see has some experience with STD diagnosis and treatment, because many doctors still do not know there is a blood test specific for Type 2 Herpes (the genital kind) and will tell you they need you to have a sore that they can culture. That used to be true but is outdated information.
Again there is a good likelihood that this is just from shaving, but just to make sure, the test will help tell the difference.
I wish the best of luck with your situation, and let me know if you need any further assistance,
Sincerely, Dr. Brown
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Neel Kudchadkar
Thank you very much ! One last question to clarify , the blood test will show if I have it, but no indication of when it was so graciously given to me? Is there any type of meds that help with this?
Brief Answer:
You are correct that there is no way to know.. But...
Detailed Answer:
So you are correct in that the test can only tell if you caught herpes not when you caught it, unless you got it within theist six weeks, which is unlikely if you have had symptoms for a few months.
The good news is that herpes is very treatable. There is oral medication (pills) that will make the blisters go away faster. More importantly, taking the medicine every day (called chronic suppression) greatly reduces your chance of giving herpes to someone else.
If you test positive, the next logical step is for your partner to also get the test. If you both have it, there is nothing to do because you cannot pass it back and forth to each other.
However if your partner is negative, taking medication every day (the common ones are acyclovir and valacyclovir) can greatly reduce your chances of passing it to him, even more than using condoms.
I want to try also to help put things in perspective. Herpes has a terrible reputation as a disease because, until the discovery of HIV and hepatitis, it was the only STD that you catch for life. But the new medications can virtually eliminate symptoms and keep it from
spreading. Unfortunately not many people get tested unless they have a symptom, which only occurs in 80 percent of new infections, so most herpes carriers do t know they have it and can pass it on.
I hope that this information was helpful and best of luck- I hope your test results turn out negative and this all will be just worry for nothing.
Take care, Dr. Brown
You are correct that there is no way to know.. But...
Detailed Answer:
So you are correct in that the test can only tell if you caught herpes not when you caught it, unless you got it within theist six weeks, which is unlikely if you have had symptoms for a few months.
The good news is that herpes is very treatable. There is oral medication (pills) that will make the blisters go away faster. More importantly, taking the medicine every day (called chronic suppression) greatly reduces your chance of giving herpes to someone else.
If you test positive, the next logical step is for your partner to also get the test. If you both have it, there is nothing to do because you cannot pass it back and forth to each other.
However if your partner is negative, taking medication every day (the common ones are acyclovir and valacyclovir) can greatly reduce your chances of passing it to him, even more than using condoms.
I want to try also to help put things in perspective. Herpes has a terrible reputation as a disease because, until the discovery of HIV and hepatitis, it was the only STD that you catch for life. But the new medications can virtually eliminate symptoms and keep it from
spreading. Unfortunately not many people get tested unless they have a symptom, which only occurs in 80 percent of new infections, so most herpes carriers do t know they have it and can pass it on.
I hope that this information was helpful and best of luck- I hope your test results turn out negative and this all will be just worry for nothing.
Take care, Dr. Brown
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Neel Kudchadkar
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