Doctor's Advice:Mystery bumps

I'm a 17-year-old male who is not sexually active. For the past two years, some 'bumps' have been appearing and disappearing on my pubic area and sometimes on my butt. They often give me the sensation of a needle sticking in the skin. Also, sometimes they have pus in them. Each one eventually goes away. What could be the cause of this?

A: Well, in the late teens, many males get small spots in the area of the pubic hair and also on the buttocks. The same is true of many young women.

I'd like to reassure you that these little bumps are virtually never a sign of anything serious. And they are definitely not a symptom of a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

There are various types of spots. But mostly, they are caused from the fact that the skin is producing a lot of oil and perspiration at this time of life. That results in blockage of some of the tiny hair follicles in the area. Follicles are the little pits out of which the hair grows.

When the follicles get blocked, they tend to swell up, until eventually they burst, discharging a little fluid on to the skin. And sometimes germs get into blocked follicles, which is why they often fill up with a small amount of pus. This may look white or yellow.

So what you are seeing on your skin is definitely not life-threatening! But if you can afford it, I would like you to go to a doctor and let him or her take a quick look at them. The doctor will probably suggest that you apply a mild skin antiseptic three times a day for the next few months.

A possible antiseptic would be chlorhexidine solution, which is commonly used for this type of thing. However, please be aware that in recent months, there have been reports of a few patients developing allergic reactions caused from this antiseptic. So please only use it as the doctor directs.

Feeling my cervix

Doctor, I am 19 years old, and have only recently started to use tampons. I have very little sexual experience, though I think I have orgasmed three times. Do not think too badly of me, but yesterday, I decided to explore my vagina with my finger. I had read on an American website that this was a good thing to do. But to my horror, I found a big, soft lump deep inside me. It is located about as far as I can reach. It does not pain me, but I cannot understand what it is doing there. Doc, I fear it may be some kind of cancer. Is that possible?

A: Please relax. What you have been feeling with your fingertip is just your cervix. The cervix is the lower end of the womb. It projects down into the vagina.

As you say, it is soft, and it feels rather like the tip of somebody's nose. Young women quite often discover it and think that it must be something awful. But it isn't. It is normal!

So you can quit fretting about this.

Too old for circumsion?

My efforts at having sex with my girlfriend have proved totally hopeless, Doc. This is because my foreskin simply will not go back when I am erect. Do you think at my age - 20 - it is too late to be circumcised? Or is there some other treatment?

A: Every guy's foreskin ought to roll back when he is sexually excited. If it won't go back, that does make sex pretty difficult. Also, it is not a very hygienic state of affairs because germs are liable to collect under a foreskin that doesn't roll back.

Many doctors would say that you must have a circumcision operation. But as you will see if you look up 'circumcision' on the 'Net, there are some disadvantages to this operation, and some adult males regret having it done.

So I think what you should do is go and see a urologist at the nearby University Hospital of the West Indies and talk the problem over with him. He might say that circumcision is the answer, or he might suggest some milder operation.

Alternatively, it is sometimes possible to fix this problem by the regular stretching of the foreskin, coupled with use of hydrocortisone cream under medical supervision. See what the surgeon suggests.

Metal rings in clitoris

My sister in England is talking about having a metal ring put through her clitoris. She has got the idea that this will greatly increase sexual pleasure. Is she right? And is it dangerous? I an wondering about getting the same thing done.

A: In England and America these days, quite a few young women decide to have small pieces of jewellery - such as metal rings - put through the clitoris.

I can assure you that this does not improve sexual pleasure. Also, it can lead to infection, bruising, and bleeding. So it is not a very good idea.

I strongly advise you to have nothing to do with it.

Is there a Pill for men?

I don't want to get any girls pregnant. So is there now a Pill for men as I have heard?

A: No, there isn't. The 'male Pill' story hits the headlines regularly, but the thing still doesn't exist.

There probably will be a male Pill one day, but it is unlikely to happen in the next five years.

Email questions to Doc at saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com and read more in the Outlook Magazine tomorrow.