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Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health, Life
Britt Jones
If you’ve noticed some spots on your bum, don’t brush it off as nothing as it could be a symptom of a sexually transmitted infection.
Bum spots can be embarrassing to talk about, but a lot of people get them and they’re often totally harmless.
Whether it’s small pimples that appear every now and then or boils, there’s going to be people out there who’ve experienced the same thing as you.
Speaking to Glamour, Dr Serrano explained that they can be a sign of normal skin conditions or 'buttne'.
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They said: "Spots on your bottom are likely to be caused by folliculitis, a condition that occurs when bacteria and dead skin cells get into your hair follicles, causing inflammation.
"This usually looks like small red bumps clustered around the follicle."
Spots on your bum, if not an STI, can be the same as any other spot you get.
It can be due to hormones and genetics, and they’ll look like puss-filled spots or more like a blackhead.
Scarily, it could actually be a sign of herpes.
Herpes lesions are relatively common and a report found that 20 percent of 237 people studied broke out in lesions on their bums.
You’ll be able to know whether it’s herpes or a spot due to its symptoms.
With herpes, the skin feels itchy or burns just before bumps begin to appear.
They’ll also look like rashes or blisters before turning into fluid-filled bumps with light-coloured centres.
These outbreaks can form in clusters on the lower back, butt, or the butt crack and it can give you discomfort or even pain while peeing.
You might also notice red bumps around your genitals, thighs or anus as well as a tingling sensation in your legs.
Your lymph nodes could swell and you’ll get body aches and a fever too.
To get rid of them, first you’ll need to get a diagnosis of herpes on the bum, where a doctor might do a few things.
They could perform a physical exam to test for the herpes virus, take a sample of the fluids within the spots, or take a blood test which looks for antibodies created to attack the virus.
However, treating herpes is tricky as there’s no known cure.
Essentially, once you get it, it’s in your system for years and can lie dormant without you knowing you have it until you have an outbreak.
Sometimes outbreaks will go away if left alone after one to two weeks.
Or you could take antiviral medications to reduce the occurrence of outbreaks and lessens the chance of you spreading it to sexual partners in the future.
You can also take basic pain medications to reduce your pain and discomfort from the outbreak.
If you think you might have herpes on your bum, talk to your GP and discuss your worries.