Herpes or Ingrown Hair? It's how to distinguish
Either herpes or ingrown hair, both cause a lump that can raise concerns. However, the condition is not the same, this way distinguishes.
Is there a reddish lump or lump that contains red fluid in the pubic area? Maybe you wonder whether the lump was herpes or ingrown hair. Since these are two unequal conditions, you should know how to distinguish them.
A glimpse of herpes and ingrown hair
Herpes is a type of sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex virus. The transmission of the virus through unsafe sex, such as often a mutually spouse and does not use condoms.
Symptoms of herpes are usually the appearance of lump pain in the vaginal or penis area. The sufferer can also have a fever and no good body.
Ingrown hair or hair grows into it also has symptoms similar to herpes, namely the emergence of redness or lumps containing liquids in the pubic area.
Ingrown conditions of hair are generally preceded by the process of shaving or removing pubic hair. Normally, hair grows penetrating the skin. But in some cases, the hair has difficulty penetrating the skin's surface, thus growing in an improper direction, which is inwards.
How to distinguish herpes and ingrown hair
Since it looks like a glance, you need to know how to differentiate it, so you can be quick and precise in action. Here's what to look for:
1. Check the size, color, and spread of the lump
Herpes lumps measure less than 2 millimeters, smaller than the size of ingrown lump hair.
At herpes, the lump has a dimple in its center, but not with ingrown hair.
There are also color differences, namely a slightly yellowish colored herpes lump. Meanwhile, ingrown hair bumps look very similar to acne, namely redness, and is coated by dead skin cells.
Herpes bumps usually number more than one and group, while ingrown hair bumps are a single lump.
2. See if there is a shadow under the lump
Although not all, dark shadows under the usual bumps are found on ingrown hair which is a new hair that is growing under the skin.
So if you find a dark shadow under the lump, the lump is almost certain is an ingrown hair, but if you do not find it, then the lump can just ingrown hair or herpes lesions.
3. Notice fluid coming out of the lump
Lumps that are in the genitals should not be solved. But if unintentionally, take note of the fluid coming out of the lump.
The herpes lump will secrete a yellowish fluid, while the fluid coming out of the ingrown lumps of white hair like pus.
A broken lump will increase the risk of infection, so it should be cleaned properly.
4. The duration of the lump appears and if easily relapse
An ingrown hair will disappear on its own within a matter of a few days to a week. Similarly, the herpes lump. The difference is, ingrown lumps of hair rarely appear again after recovering, while the herpes lump is prone to relapse.
The definitive way to ensure the diagnosis is by undergoing a blood test. Through the examination, you can tell if there is a herpes simplex virus in the blood. If the result is a negative virus herpes simplex, the doctor will find out another cause of the lump in the pubic. The most common cause of hair is ingrown.
Lumps arising in the genitals should not be crossed, because the cause can be herpes or ingrown hair. If you have a lump in the genital area and it is difficult to distinguish it, or there are two weeks of the lump is not also lost, we recommend doing a direct examination with the doctor.