Genital acne (Hidradenitis Suppurativa), also referred to as folliculitis, is a bit different to acne in other areas of the body like your face, back or chest for example.

It may look the same but it isn’t caused by pores being clogged by excessive sebum (oil) production by the sebaceous glands.  The culprit of genital acne is the apocrine glands which can become clogged with sweat which allows bacteria to breed.

This type of acne can occur in both male and female bodies and it can occur in any area which has apocrine glands, like your underarm area and scalp.  It is reported that women are more likely to experience this type of acne than men.

If you suspect that you have genital acne make sure that there isn’t the possiblity it could be something else.  If you can’t determine this yourself you consult your doctor to put yourself at ease.

It’s wise to know what the main causes of this condition are so that you can eliminate any if possible:

*wearing tight fitted clothes

*some laundry detergents and soaps

*ingrown hair

*sex

Immediately you might see some changes you could make, like wearing clothing that isn’t too tight against the skin to allow air to circulate and prevent sweat from getting trapped on the skin.  You could change your laundry brand to something less sensitive.

As for ingrown hair, you could exfoliate after shaving/waxing etc which does help some people.  If your ingrown hair problem is more severe it could be best to seek professional advice from your doctor.

As far as treatment of this type of acne is concerned, you should follow similar treatment and precautions as you would with normal ace. The general rule of thumb is to not pick or squeeze genital acne as this will only spread the bacteria and lead to more acne.

In treating genital acne the best treatment involves keeping the area clean and bacteria free.  Having a regular routine to cleanse the area with an antiseptic, hydrogen or benzoyl peroxide is recommended.