Okay, I have a really serious question that I hope someone can answer. I found a lump right by my vagina and I can't tell if it is a real lump or an ingrown hair. I've had braziilian waxes so I know there's a possibility that it's an ingrown hair and I tried squeezing it but so far nothing. What I need to now is how can you tell the difference between an ingrown and an actually lump.

The reason I'm asking is that I'm hesitate to go to the gynologist. I live in Japan and they are incredibly expensive and I don't have the money to go see one and my insurance does not cover it (There isn't an emphasis for women to go to one here like in the US). I was orginally going to one when I returned to the U.S. this September but then I discovered ths. My sister is convinced that it's just an ingrown hair but I need to be sure. If anyone can help me, I would greatly apprciate it. I'm seriously worried about this.

Does it seem to be at the surface? If it's deeper in, then it might be something else, but anything near the surface can definitely be an ingrown hair. I once had one that was there for weeks! I could not squeeze mine out either because it did not come to a head for a while.. but eventually it came right out. What I would do is keep an eye on it... if there are any serious changes, it will be worth going to the gyno.. but most likely it's just an ingrown or a clogged pore... some of them do take a while to go away. Just keep an eye on it and make sure nothing else happens and that it improves with time.

Thank you so much for replying! Yeah the bump is at the surface and when I tried sqeezing it it became large and red but it went down and the redness went away. Thank you for the advice and I'll definitely keep an eye out for it.

What about going to a general physician to check it out? It might not be a gyno problem.

Here is some more helpful info... if the bumps are painful or itchy, then there is a chance it can be herpes (but I'm sure it would look a lot worse). If they are raised and flat, it can be genital warts. If it's not either, it's probably just an ingrown hair or pimple!

If I try to go to a general physician I'll be mostly likely sent to a gyno because of where the lump is located, but thank you for the suggestion!

tUrRrRa, I'm curious about the genital warts, do you mean if the lump is first swollen then it calms down then it might be warts? It was red and swollen (from when I tried squeezing it to see if a hair comes out) then it has gone down a bit.

Hmm I am not sure actually, I just read that in a magazine, but I would guess that if it was red and swollen that it isn't a wart. It seemed like the warts would not be red and you would not feel them. Anything irritated feeling that isn't blistery like is probably just a pimple or ingrown hair! I've had a few tricky ingrowns that were swollen and went back down afterwards and took forever to go away.. I'm guessing that is the same thing you have!

OP:

You should post this thread under "Womens Health" or "Sexually Transmitted Diseases"

You might find some more answers!

Good luck..