Vaginal Boil Treatment in Indian Women: Causes & Prevention

Boils on vaginal area are pus-filled, inflamed bumps under the vaginal skin. They can appear as bumps near vaginal opening, or on the labia. Vaginal boils generally occur when there is an infection in the hair follicle of your pubic region. Most often, boils on vaginal lip begin as small, red bumps and develop into a painful lump filled with white or yellow pus. Vaginal boils can affect females of any age starting from their puberty.

While it is rarely a cause for concern, if vaginal boil causes pain and irritation, you should consult a gynecologist to get it checked right away. While most boils in female groin area clear up on their own in 1-2 weeks, some may require appropriate vaginal boils treatment to reduce the pain and stop the infection from spreading.

Since most boils on vaginal area are self-diagnosable, look out for the following signs:

• Pain, or discomfort
• Itchiness, or irritation
• Pus-filled bump near vaginal opening

It is understandable to be alarmed/worried when you see a spot or boil on vaginal area. If you are unsure about an unusual spot on your vagina, consulting a gynecologist will help you gain a better understanding of your condition. A correct diagnostic evaluation is the key to receiving appropriate vaginal boils treatment. In addition to this, a regular full-body health checkup once a year can help understand the state of your health and the areas that require improvement. You can have an instant consultation with a doctor on MFine, or you can avail of a comprehensive health check-up package or a specific condition-based health package depending on your lifestyle factors, dietary factors, age, and existing medical conditions.

As previously mentioned, boils on vaginal area generally occur when a pubic hair follicle gets infected, therefore causing itchiness, discomfort, and irritation. If you are wondering what causes boils on genital area, they can be caused by many factors. The following are the various vaginal boil causes:

• Wearing tight clothing
  One of the most common vaginal boil causes is wearing tight clothing in the pubic area. The clothing can cause unnecessary friction on the skin, causing boils on private parts to form. Maintaining poor genital hygiene by not changing your undergarments can also cause boils on vaginal lip to form.
• Infectious micro-organisms
  Boils on vaginal lip can be caused by bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus. Commonly found on the surface of the skin, this bacterium can cause recurrent vaginal boils. The doctor takes a sample of the pus from the boil to test the presence of an infectious micro-organism. If this bacteria is responsible for your condition, a gynecologist can suggest an appropriate antibiotic vaginal boils treatment to cure it.
• Skin conditions
  Common conditions like folliculitis can also cause vaginal boils. Folliculitis occurs when a hair follicle gets impacted due to a bacterial/ fungal infection. Most often, this occurs due to skin irritation caused by shaving/ waxing pubic hair. In the beginning, the bump may appear small but can develop into a larger boil filled with pus.
• Cysts
  Cysts can also cause vaginal boils. For instance, a Bartholin gland cyst occurs due to an infection in the Bartholin glands, that is located under the vaginal skin near the opening. These glands produce fluid that helps lubricate the vagina. If these glands get infected, the openings of the glands get blocked, causing fluid to build up under the vaginal skin. This build-up can form a small bump near vaginal opening.
• In some cases, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like Herpes, HPV, Syphilis can cause recurrent vaginal boils.
  It is imperative to understand the causes of boils on private parts to receive a suitable vaginal boils treatment plan. Management of a small boil on vagina can be easily done at home. However, if you experience persistent pain, irritation, itchiness, or even recurrent boils on vaginal area, this may indicate an underlying condition that needs to be addressed. It is advisable to consult a gynecologist to get an accurate diagnosis of a boil on vaginal lip to effectively relieve it.

While most boils in female groin area are self-diagnosable, it is still advisable to get it accurately diagnosed by a gynecologist. Firstly, the doctor will perform a physical examination to understand the nature of the boil on vaginal area. They may also ask you questions about the intensity of your pain, irritation, and when the boil occurred.

The doctor may also take a sample of the pus to test it for underlying bacterial/ fungal infections that may be causing recurrent vaginal boils. If the doctor suspects a skin condition like folliculitis, a microscopic examination of the skin is done. (dermoscopy) In some cases, a sample of your skin/ infected hair is also collected for analysis.

Generally, boils on vaginal lip go away on their own within 1-2 weeks, if they are not caused by a severe underlying condition. Performing home remedies for boils on private area can help speed up the recovery process. However, check with a gynecologist if these home remedies are effective in treating a small boil on vagina.

While performing the home remedies, remember to:

• Wash your hands with antibacterial soap and lukewarm water before performing the vaginal boils treatment. Skipping this step will increase your risk of introducing more bacteria in the infected area.
• Wash your hands after performing home remedies for boils on private area. This will ensure you don’t spread the infection to other parts of your body.

The following are the different kinds of home remedies for vaginal boils:

• Apply a warm compress
  Applying a warm compress on the affected area can increase blood circulation; therefore, introducing white blood cells (WBCs) to fight against the infection. You can soak a towel in slightly warm water and leave it on the region for 7-10 minutes.
• Wear loose clothing
  Consider wearing loose bottoms to allow air to flow through and avoid sweat build-up. This also avoids unnecessary friction on the delicate vaginal skin. In addition, remember to change into clean, dry underwear after workouts.
• Use an ointment (as prescribed by a doctor)
  Applying a petroleum jelly ointment can reduce the friction of the boil in female private area against the fabric. However, it is crucial to only use ointments as prescribed and directed by a gynecologist.
• Use pain medications (as prescribed by a doctor)
  Pain medications can be useful in reducing discomfort and inflammation caused by the boil on vaginal area. However, consume medicines for vaginal boils under medical supervision only.
  Also, do not attempt to pop the vaginal boil. By doing so, you increase the risk of spreading the infection, causing recurrent vaginal boils to occur.
• Medical treatments for severe/ recurrent boils in vaginal area
  If these home remedies for vaginal boils do not improve your condition, consult a gynecologist to receive a different vaginal boils treatment plan. In these cases, it is important to find the root cause of the boil in female pubic area and treat it accordingly.
  Symptoms of an underlying condition causing severe boils include:
  – Fever/ chills
  – Extreme pain and discomfort in the affected area
  – Rapid growth of the boil on vaginal lip
  – Bump near vaginal opening appears larger than two inches wide
  – Recurrent vaginal boils
  – Boil that does not go away on its own in 1-2 weeksIn such cases, the doctor will suggest the following treatments:
  1. Draining the pus at the hospital
  If the boil on vaginal area is large and causes severe discomfort, the doctor will perform an in-house procedure by cutting the vaginal boil and draining the pus using a special sterile needle. Severely infected boils on female groin area may need to be drained more than once. Do not attempt this boil removal procedure at home as you may increase the risk of spreading the infection.
  2. Antibiotics
  Recurrent boils in vaginal area may require antibiotics to prevent future boils. If the pus in the boil was recently drained, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic ointment to protect the vaginal skin from reinfection.

How to maintain vaginal health curing COVID-19

Although COVID in India has been around for over a year now, we are still not sure about every symptom of COVID-19. Maintaining your personal hygiene is one of the many things that has been advised by doctors in order to stay away from Coronavirus disease. But we women often forget that we need to keep our vaginas clean and healthy too during COVID in India.

Let’s look at some of the ways you can do that:

1.) Healthy diet and exercises: Eating right and exercising can actually go a long way. During a time when most of us are either in isolation or quarantine, it is difficult to eat right. Most of the time we are anxious about the double mutation COVID virus and we give our body the leeway to be idle. But if we just take out some time for a little exercise, our vaginal health will get better. Also if you are diabetic, you are more likely to experience symptoms of COVID-19. So, it is absolutely necessary to eat right during these trying times.

2.) Get regular screenings: During the COVID-19 outbreak, it is difficult to schedule an appointment with your gynecologist. Even with a few getting the COVID vaccine, it seems we are still a little way off. But maintain contact with your doctor and ask if there are ways you can keep an eye on your vaginal health.

3.) Use protection: Protect yourself from contracting any sexually transmitted disease especially when COVID in India is at its nadir. You will find it difficult to see a doctor during this time.

4.) Wash your vagina with water: There might be many products that claim to clean your vagina, but always use water to do the job. The vagina is a self-cleaning organ and using harsh chemicals may lead to itching, boils and other complications.

Boils on private parts can be effectively managed and treated. The correct diagnosis is the key to receiving appropriate vaginal boils treatment. Based on your medical condition, you will either be:

• Advised to take suitable home remedies for boils on private area, or
• Consume medicines for vaginal boils, and apply antibiotic ointments as prescribed by a doctor, or
• Provided with a specialized vaginal boil treatment plan, if it is severe/ recurring.

A gynecologist can best diagnose a boil on vaginal area and suggest the way forward based on the severity of your condition. If you face severe pain and discomfort due to the boil, you must see a gynecologist right away. If you are unsure about an unusual spot on your vagina, consulting a doctor will help you gain a better understanding of your condition.
At MFine, we enable the patients to live a healthier life with modern medical services. We ensure that the best vaginal boils treatment programs are made available to our patients for every stage of the condition. Get in touch with our team of highly-qualified doctors and healthcare professionals for any medical advice or assistance. We, at MFine, provide you with a holistic healthcare treatment program as per your bodily needs and requirements. You can also check our MFine app for a list of the best gynecology doctors in your city with whom you can chat or video call to get answers for your medical queries!

1. Why do I keep getting boils on my private area?
Boils on private parts can be caused by several factors, such as wearing tight clothing, maintaining poor genital hygiene, bacterial/ fungal infections, or by sexually transmitted infections. (STIs) If you experience severe, recurrent boils in vaginal area, consult a gynecologist to receive a suitable vaginal boils treatment program.

2. Can a vaginal boil heal without draining?
Generally, boils on vaginal lip go away on their own within 1-2 weeks, if they are not caused by a severe underlying condition. You can speed up the recovery process by maintaining good genital hygiene, wearing loose clothes, and applying a warm compress.
However, if you have severe/ recurrent vaginal boils that do not go away on its own, it may need to be drained to prevent further infection.

3. How do I prevent boils in vaginal area?
The following tips can help reduce the risk of recurring boils:

• Gently exfoliate pubic area: Exfoliating your genital area can remove dead skin cells; thus, preventing the risk of developing an ingrown hair. You can exfoliate by using a gentle scrub, or loofah.
• Change your razor frequently: If you shave your pubic area, change the blades every 3-4 weeks.
• Shave while showering: When you shave while showering/ bathing, you reduce friction against the sensitive genital area. Excessive friction can cause vaginal boils to form.
• Maintain good genital hygiene: You can reduce the risk of getting vaginal boils by keeping your pubic area dry and clean; changing your undergarments regularly; and by wearing loose, comfortable clothes.

4. How do I book an appointment with a gynecologist online?

To schedule an instant medical appointment, download the MFine app, search for a gynecologist online, and enter your contact details. After doing so, you can consult with top gynecologists online from the comfort of your home. You can discuss your health concerns comfortably as MFine takes your privacy very seriously. With a safe and secure platform, we ensure that the discussions between you and your doctor strictly remain confidential.