There was a mysterious pimple near my right testicle. I popped it. Must've been an ingrown hair. Because soon as I popped it , a hair flew into my sink (I was standing next to it) I put peroxide on it & left it alone. Now it's throbbing & it's swollen

I am a virgin if that helps.

Lesson learned. Don't pop pimples. Leave it alone, it will get better.

The throbbing and swelling is most likely due to you popping it. It takes a lot to pop a pimple or ingrown hair. You're irritating your body by doing so.

I don't agree that you should just leave it and it will get better. Ingrown hairs don't usually get better on their own, I've had many. But popping them on your own is not a good idea. See a doctor next time, it's a far less painful procedure when done by a doctor. Also keep an eye out on this area. Popping it on your own can be dangerous, and can lead to infection.

Leaving it alone and drying to air is the best way to relieve the pressure of a popped pimple/ingrown hair. There is no reason to make a trip to the doctor unless there is redness, swelling or fever around the area.

The problem with popping pimples or ingrown hairs is that you are causing an open area in the skin that is a conduit for infection. A trip to the doctor is unnecessary and costly if there is no indication that medical treatment is indicated.

As a cancer survivor and losing all of the hair on my body due to the side effects of chemo, I have had hundreds of ingrown hairs as my hair grew back in. I've never been infected, and they have all gotten better with no intervention at all.

I've had many, too many to count, ingrown hairs, the latest batch under my breast, which is a shock seeing as there's no actual hair (that I can see) there. Most occur in my panty line, and are so painful I can't walk, can't sleep, can't move. I've never experienced fever with them, but pain, yes.

I have to admit that I have popped a few on my own. Instant relief. I've never had an infection from popping them on my own, but I do know that's not a good idea and won't advise anyone else to do so. But yes, when you're in pain, it seems like a good idea. But popping requires squeezing, which will irritate the area. But really, the irritation is small compared to the pain beforehand. I still believe that medical removal, which I've done more often than not, is the way to go. It's a lot safer.

So I would recommend seeing a doctor. If the ingrown hair is anything like I've experienced, so painful that walking isn't possible, than leaving it alone really isn't an option, than having it removed it the best course of actio. I have left a few of them alone, hoping they'd go away, and after 3 weeks with no relief, and it not going away, only getting worse, I ended up popping it. That was over 20 years ago and I still remember it because the relief once it was popped, was so great.

But I'm only talking about ingrown hairs, which I sadly have a lot of experience with. Pimples, I agree, leave them alone and they'll disappear. Ingrown hairs don't usually go away on their own in my experience. But I'm really only going by my experience, and the advice of my doctor. I'm not a doctor, and I really think it's best to consult with one about this.

Good luck.

I'm not trying to argue Alty. The problem can be easily solved with time and moist heat rather than popping or medical intervention.

Luckily you are in Canada where medical care is free, but that is not the case in most of the free world.

Popping an ingrown hair will cause swelling, as will popping a pimple. The OP did well to apply peroxide, but that is the extent of the necessary medical interventions unless or until there is an indication of infection.

The other issue is that the location of the ingrown hair. While it is a good idea to air out and let them heal on their own, have your testicles sway in the breeze is something you can only really do at home and even then it is hard in that area to keep it dry and exposed. He'd best hope that no random Christmas Carollers come to the door.

To pop or not is a controversy. My opinion, which I want to flash in large letters with sprinkles and a flying unicorn named toots, is that they will usually go away on their own, but if you want to pop them then go for it, just make sure you get all the puss out of them. If you do, put a topical ointment on afterwards, neosporne or what not.

Just my two cents, which isn't worth as much as before.

I would also advise against using peroxide, which I think OP stated he did. That is enough irritation on its own for an open wound.

I haven't had many ingrown hairs on my pubes, but when I do,I let them run their course while keeping the area clean.

Sadly I've had a lot of ingrown hairs, mainly on my panty line. Not once have they gone away on their own. They're painful, they swell (one was the size of a marble, and I still remember it because of the relief I felt when I finally popped it and found the hair that was ingrown). Walking was painful, sitting was painful, wearing underwear or even pants was painful. I lived with one of them for weeks before I decided to self medicate. That one was 20 years ago, and the instant relief I felt after popping it, and draining it, was better than... well, it felt really good. Sorry for the TMI by the way.

I'm prone to ingrown hairs, have been all my life. Most of the time I pop them on my own. I have yet to get an infection from doing so, but I still can't recommend that someone else follow my course. I will say that when I popped them on my own I used a brand new needle (one of the sewing needles with the bobble on the head) I placed it in boiling water for 10 minutes, then used an alcohol wipe. I wiped the area, then inserted the needle, did the rest, then wiped with a fresh alcohol wipe. I also kept the area covered afterwards to avoid infection. But the best bet is always your doctor. I have had to have many of these ingrown hairs removed by my doctor, and I will say that they healed a lot faster than my at home cure, and the local anesthetic was a lot nicer than my cure.

I realize that I'm in Canada, and I can get this treatment for free. That doesn't mean that leaving it alone and living with the pain, and possibly having it get infected, should be an option.