Vaginal boils are painful, pus-filled lumps that can appear in the area of your vulva and genitals. They can be a symptom of folliculitis, where one of your hair follicles becomes infected, or they can also be a sign of a sexually transmitted infection.
Don’t try to squeeze or pop the boil, because it can make things worse and spread bacteria. If the boil isn’t going away with at-home treatment, see your gynecologist.
Wash the Infected Area
Vaginal boils are painful, pus-filled lumps that appear in the groin or labia, often the size of a cherry pit or walnut. They form as a result of infected hair follicles and most often due to the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. They can develop quickly or over the course of several days.
A boil may resemble a pimple, but the skin is usually thicker and redder around it. Sometimes a woman will see yellow pus oozing out of the boil. A boil may also be accompanied by a fever, which indicates a more serious infection that requires medical attention.
In most cases, the boil will drain on its own or after a doctor drains it. Afterward, the doctor may apply an antibiotic ointment and cover it with a clean washcloth or a sterile medical bandage. If you have a boil, wear loose clothing to prevent it from irritating the area and keep the wound dry by washing the infected area twice a day with soap. Wash your hands before and after touching the area, and avoid sharing personal items like towels.
Apply Over-the-Counter Medications
The swollen lump or bump on your vulva may feel tender to the touch and look like a boil, but it’s more likely a cyst. Cysts are fluid-filled pockets under the skin and can contain oil, dead skin cells or even a blood clot, says Dr. Dweck. They are painful, sensitive and might bleed when popped.
Using antibacterial soap to wash the area and covering the boil with clean, dry bandage can help prevent infection, and using over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can also be helpful. It’s important to take these medications as directed by the label and not to prick or squeeze a vaginal boil as this can cause a more serious infection, such as cellulitis, which can involve the inner layers of the skin and fat layer and requires antibiotics from your doctor.
Other at-home treatments include wearing loose underwear and changing them frequently, practicing good hygiene (washing the entire body with antibacterial soap, washing towels and bedding often and not sharing razors) and keeping your hands clean. If your doctor prescribes oral antibiotics, be sure to take the full course, as stopping the medicine prematurely can lead to recurrent infections.
Take a Warm Compress
Vaginal boils are painful, but they don’t always require medical treatment. It’s important to keep the affected area clean, washing it with antibacterial soap and water and avoiding touching or scrubbing. It’s also a good idea to wear loose, cotton underwear so that the skin can “breathe,” and a woman may take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for discomfort.
To speed up the healing process, a women can soak her perineal region (the area between the legs and including the anus) in a sitz bath twice a day. The warm water can help relieve discomfort, and it boosts circulation to the affected area so that the boil can drain faster. It’s best to avoid attempting to squeeze the boil at home, as this can cause scarring. If a boil doesn’t clear up after a few weeks, it’s a good idea to see a gynecologist or doctor for more treatment options. In rare cases, a boil can become a serious infection called furunculosis or a carbuncle, which requires antibiotic treatment to prevent the bacteria from spreading to other parts of the body and causing sepsis.
Take a Sitz Bath
Vaginal boils are puss-filled cysts that look like pimples. They often burst and drain on their own, but a person can speed up the process by applying warm compresses to the area.
You can do this by running a washcloth under warm water and pressing it on the boil for about 10 minutes several times a day. This may cause the boil to “come to a head” and rupture on its own, or it might prompt the boil to leak pus.
People can also take a sitz bath, which involves dunking the lower anal area in shallow, typically lukewarm water. The sitz bath helps reduce pain, itching, discomfort and swelling in the areas around the vagina, vulva and anus.
A sitz bath can be made at home by filling a bathtub with just a few inches of water or using a special container called a sitz bath that you can purchase online or at most drugstores. Some people suggest adding things to the sitz bath, such as apple cider vinegar, but you should always get your doctor’s go-ahead first before dumping anything into the tub.
See Your Doctor
Vaginal boils are more than just embarrassing — they’re painful and often oozing. They can also be a sign of a more serious health condition like cysts or in rare cases, cancer. So if you find yourself with a boil on your vulva, make sure to see your doctor immediately.
Boils, which are also known as furuncles, are infections that occur in hair-bearing areas like the groin and vagina. They look similar to a pimple and are painful when touched. They also have a pus-filled center and can develop a crust.
If left untreated, a boil on the vulva can become as large as a baseball and cause pain in other parts of your body. You may also experience fever, chills and flu-like symptoms.
The best way to prevent a boil is to practice good hygiene and wash your genitals daily with an antibacterial soap. It’s also important to avoid wearing tight clothing that can rub against the area and cause irritation. Lastly, be sure to wash your hands frequently with an antibacterial soap, especially before and after touching the area, and always apply antibiotic ointment to minor skin wounds.
