How do you know the difference between an ingrown hair and wart/hpv?

My best friend asked me to look at a bump on her inner thigh. It was huge, I think she should get it checked out. She asked if I thought it was an ingrown hair or one of those bumps you get with HPV or even something worse.

How do you tell the difference?

How do you know the difference between an ingrown hair and wart/hpv?

Ingrown hairs are basically hairs that have become trapped underneath the skin. This is usually caused by shaving the hair. The pore can become clogged with bacteria and can look almost like a small pimple that can puss.

Genital warts are usually fleshed colored. They can be small bumps but can occasionally become pretty large. They are usually not painful, and are more of an annoyance than painful. These bumps do NOT puss.

If your friend thinks she might have genital warts caused by HPV, or any other STD, then she needs to see a doctor and get tested. Take care!

How do you know the difference between an ingrown hair and wart/hpv?

That's a tough call. I use a special halogen light when I'm treating patients with HPV and shine it across the skin looking for bumps that are out of the ordinary. I can tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you won't find genital warts on the inner thigh. Most female patients have warts on their labia minora/majora, vaginally and/or around their anus. Skin tissue outside of those areas cannot harbor HPV types 6 and 11 which cause visible genital warts. It could be a common or flat wart, but not a genital wart. The types of HPV that your friend is worried about (because they can lead to cervical cancer) do not have any symptoms... they're invisible. They only turn up on a pap smear.

How do you know the difference between an ingrown hair and wart/hpv?

Adding to what was already a very good answer, genital warts don't often cause physical discomfort as oppsed to ingrown hairs which when infected enough can be quite painful, this is of coarse not without exceptions such as wart growth inside the urethra.

How do you know the difference between an ingrown hair and wart/hpv?

it could also be a boil fhey are common in the groin area they look like huge pimples until they pop or drain