Ingrown hairs vs. fistulas: what's the difference?

Hey everyone! If you’ve ever owned one of these or even just spent some time working with them, I would absolutely love to hear about your experiences!! Please share your stories! Thanks so much in advance.

Help me out here, everyone!! So, I ended up in the ER because things flared up, and since then, I've been getting poked with needles every other day. Now, I'm heading back to my primary doctor for dressing changes, but honestly? The problem is that every single doctor I talk to tells me something completely different!
When I was at the ER, they told me straight up that surgery was a total necessity. But then, when I went in for a follow-up exam, they actually acted like I was being ridiculous when I brought up the operation again! Then, on my third visit, some doctor tells me once more that I’ll definitely need surgery in the near future! Like, how am I supposed to know what to believe?!
So, they transferred my care to my regular doctor to handle the injections and the bandages. She thinks—and I quote—that I probably WON'T even need surgery!
It's pure chaos. One doctor tells me not to touch any kind of ointment, while another one insists on applying it myself! Then one says I should shower more often because the water helps, but another tells me I shouldn't even take the gauze off while showering and should just waterproof it with plastic wrap instead!
I mean, how is an ordinary person like me supposed to figure this out?!😢

Where did yours pop up? I’ve been struggling with that myself—I actually ended up having surgery because of it

It’s right on my backside, way up high! Now I’m heading in every other day just to get the dressings changed. I actually saw my doctor today, and she was super encouraging—said it’s looking really good and that we can get this thing healed up, though she wouldn't promise it won't pop back up again. Honestly, if there's a chance it might return, I don't quite get why they aren't just sending me straight to surgery right now!
Did you deal with it coming back, or did you just go ahead and get the operation immediately?

I’ve actually been dealing with this for quite a while now, though mine shows up in my groin area.
The last time—well, technically the time before this recent flare-up—was about two years ago. It got so inflamed back then that I couldn't even wear tight pants without intense pain... it lasted for about a month.

I went to see my doctor, and she prescribed some antibiotics, which I took for a week.
After that, the pain eased up a bit, but the lump (it was about 2x5 cm) just wouldn't shrink down.

So, she eventually referred me for surgery.
They ended up cutting out that tissue under local anesthesia.

Did your doctor tell you what caused it? Maybe it was from wearing tight clothing?
How long have you been treating this?

My doctor also suggested we try medication first—she didn't want to jump straight to surgery if I could recover otherwise—but it just didn't work.

It was such a rough experience... I had to take a week off work, and I could barely walk. Honestly, I was struggling to move at all, so every couple of days I’d just drive myself to the clinic for follow-ups.

And where did you go for the emergency visit?

restlessangler said:I’ve dealt with this stuff quite a bit myself, specifically in my groin area.
The last time—well, actually the time before that, since it just flared up again—was about two years ago, and it was so bad I couldn't even wear tight pants because of the pain. It lasted for a month.

I went to see my doctor, and she put me on antibiotics, which I took for a week.
After that, the pain eased up a little, but the lump (about 2x5 cm) wouldn't budge.

So, she eventually referred me for surgery.
They just cut out the tissue while I was under local anesthesia.

Did your doctor give you a diagnosis? Maybe it's from wearing tight clothes?
How long have you been dealing with this?

My doctor also suggested trying medication first to avoid unnecessary surgery if things cleared up, but they didn't.

It was a pretty rough experience, honestly; I was out on sick leave for a week and could barely walk, so I ended up driving myself to follow-up appointments every couple of days.

And where did you go for the ER visit?

Auuu, sounds like you're really going through it... I get occasional flare-ups in my groin too, but it's just one spot, kind of like a large pimple. I dab some hydrogen peroxide on it to bring it to the surface, and once that little white head appears, I carefully drain it and apply an antibiotic cream. Usually, I manage to pull out a stray ingrown hair, too.
As a preventative measure, I exfoliate that area when I shower and use Sebamed antibacterial soap—it's meant for facial pores, but it works wonders for the groin area as well.👍

My brother had a massive infection on his butt, and they had to clean it out at a clinic. He had to go back several times, and they told him that once it heals, he needs to exfoliate regularly so the hair doesn't get trapped against the skin.

I used to have those occasional flare-ups too, right up until this happened.
Everything had been smooth sailing for about two years—total peace—but now it's back. Though, if I'm being honest, it feels like it might be starting to ease up just a little bit...

So, I’ve actually been dealing with this for over a year now, but I kept putting off going to the doctor—classic me, right? But then things took a turn for the worse, and once I started seeing blood every single day, I realized I couldn't ignore it anymore and finally had to go find out what was actually going on!
I ended up heading to the emergency room in Washington, D.C., and honestly, the staff there were just so incredibly kind and helpful!
Now, my doctor has me wearing this surgical gauze that I'm strictly forbidden from removing until my follow-up appointment. Let me tell you, trying to take a shower every day has turned into this ridiculous daily obstacle course of acrobatics, and I have absolutely no clue how much longer I'll have to deal with this!
😕

She didn't say anything that would actually cause that to pop up! Honestly, my mom is convinced it’s just because of my underwear! Do you guys think that’s even a possibility?

I’ve been dealing with this ever since I started shaving—plus, tight pants don't exactly help because of all the chafing

By pure coincidence, I happened to be in Washington, D.C., when this flared up, so I headed straight to the ER and was prescribed antibiotics. My plan was to follow up with my own doctor once I returned home to my hometown. Fortunately, I had a connection over in surgery, which allowed me to get the procedure done immediately after all my test results came back. It’s terrifying to think how many people endure this pain for years or even undergo unnecessary procedures because they lack those kinds of connections; if I hadn't had that help, I honestly don't know what would have happened. For me, the symptoms were triggered by my underwear, and now I find myself visiting specialists all over the Greater Los Angeles area, though everyone's experience seems so different. Best of luck to you all.

What do you mean by cutting while you're awake?
In my case, they did the incision under local anesthesia—though they wouldn't let me watch (haha)
To be honest, I didn't feel any pain... (even though I started sobbing at first when they were administering the anesthetic injection—I actually thought they were already cutting me because of the stinging sensation, so I got all paranoid and started crying 🙂), the only thing I felt during the actual incision wasn't pain, but just this weird sensation... almost like someone was touching my arm when it was so cold that I couldn't feel the contact at all. It wasn't painful, but it was pretty intense when I heard that sound, like someone using scissors to cut through paper (my tissue 🙂)

It was just the sound that was "painful," nothing else

Grace Morgan26 said:Can someone please help me out?? Basically, I ended up in the ER because this thing flared up—had to go in for drainage every other day, and now I’m heading to my regular doctor for dressing changes. But here’s the kicker: every single doctor tells me something different!
When I was at the ER, they told me surgery was a must. Then I went for a follow-up, and they practically laughed at me when I brought up the surgery option. Then I showed up a third time, and some doctor tells me again that I'll need surgery eventually! So much for having a clear plan!
Anyway, they sent me back to my own doctor to handle the draining and dressings. She thinks—and I quote, *thinks*—that I might not even need surgery!
To make things even more ridiculous, one doc tells me not to touch any ointments, while another insists I apply them. One guy says I should shower more often since water helps, but then another tells me I shouldn't even take the gauze off in the shower and should just cover it with plastic wrap instead.
Good luck trying to figure that one out!😢

Look, I don't have first-hand experience with this stuff, but I have a friend who actually had to undergo surgery four times last year because of those fistulas. And get this—she just had to do it again yesterday. It's deep, right down to the colon, so after they operate and clean everything out, they leave the wound wide open to heal on its own. You can imagine how miserable that is. This is happening over in Germany. She was honestly shaking from the nerves because every time they finish, they tell her everything is cleaned out perfectly, only for it to flare up again a few months later. I don't know if it's just bad luck with doctors or if her body is just prone to this kind of thing. She tried three different clinics, and it's the same result every time. They told her to lose a little weight since that plays a role, so she's been watching what she eats, but it still happens. She even tried some herbal supplements, but nothing seems to move the needle.