Q: I am a 21 yrs. old girl and have recurring pimple-like eruptions on my buttocks which form pus and then go off. It is very painful when I sit and is also very hot to touch. It also has a reddish look and the skin has become dark and scarred with the earlier eruptions. I have had this problem for the past 5-6 yrs. Please help me. Prescribe some cream or medicine. Also please reply soon.

A:From your description you may have a fistula in ano. A fistula in ano is an abnormal communication between your rectum and the skin. The fistula is a thin track that emerges in the skin of the buttock, usually close to the anus. At this point a boil or pimple-like lesion develops: it starts to pain, then bursts with the discharge of pus and/or blood, relieving the pain. In time the cycle is repeated. You need to contact your surgeon, because fistulas usually need an operation. Some patients do well with the thread therapy available at Moolchand Hospital.