Is That A Zit In My Vag?

It wasn’t long ago when I found it: a white head or something that resembled it, on my vagina. Actually, no. It wasn’t on my vagina, it was in my vagina. Of course I zoomed to the bad place as soon as possible. Was it a wart? An STD? A weird growth no one had ever had before? Cancer?

Or was I just disgusting and wasn’t washing my lady bits hard enough?

It didn’t hurt or look too out of the ordinary. This little pesky bump resembled a clogged pore. So, as I stood in the shower, hot water running over my head, I knew I should call my doctor. But I was too embarrassed. Which is ridiculous, that’s what they are there for.

Fast forward to the next day, I was at a family barbecue with my sister and cousin. The conversation went from push up bras, to pasties, to waxing. That’s when I said, “YOU GUYS! I have a … zit or something on my crotch. Like inside one of the lips.”

I waited for them to go wide-eyed and tell me they’d never heard of such a thing and I was probably a monster.

Instead, my cousin said, “Oh yeah, I’ve had that before. My gyno said it was fine, nothing to worry about. But after a few months, it started to get a little sore and hurt when I walked, so I had it lanced. Not fun, but it worked.”

Then my sister chimed in with, “Oh yeah, I’ve had that too. I just popped mine. It hurt like hell, but it worked.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, but called my gynecologist the next day. As soon as she saw it, she told me it was nothing to worry about, offered to express it for me (I declined) and told me to keep an eye on it, and if it really started to bother me, I could come back and have it removed.

She explained we can get clogged pores and cysts inside our labia minora. They are usually benign and nothing to worry about, but it’s always a good idea to have them looked at, especially if they change.

I was relieved that I wasn’t, in fact, a disgusting monster with horrible hygiene and I was just normal.

After disclosing the information to my best friend the next day, she told me she too had a few that she got rid of herself and she’d never told anyone because, ew.

I called David Ghozland, M.D. an OBGYN who specializes in cosmetic gynecology and sexual wellness. He told me that most sebaceous cysts in the vulva – which this was – are harmless. “They develop after an oil gland is blocked and traps sebum under the skin forming a small firm bump which may be white or yellow,” he said. This can happen from friction, trapped moisture, irritability from shaving, perfumed products, tight clothes and synthetic fabrics.

Some of these pesky bumps can swell and get irritated. But no matter the case, Ghozland says it’s not a good idea to diagnose yourself at home. “If they change in size, color, or texture, the cyst starts to empty, or you are in pain, see a doctor.” Ghozland also adds squeezing it yourself isn’t a good idea as it can make it worse and cause an infection—yes I told my friend and sister!The treatment for a cyst, even in your precious parts isn’t complex, can take under twenty minutes, and recovery is fast.

So if you spot something down there do not, I repeat do not, scrub it harder, apply acne creams, think you’re disgusting and need to hide from the world. These little pimple-looking things are likely normal, they happen to a lot of women just from doing women things (like wearing leggings) and your OBGYN can put your mind at ease. Don’t create a huge story in your mind that leaves you sick with worry.

Because, well, I know how we women can be.

Diana Park is a writer who finds solitude in a good book, the ocean, and eating fast food with her kids.