Woman's Shaved Bikini Line Infection Leads to Life-Threatening Sepsis
A 28-year-old from Bournemouth developed a severe infection after shaving her bikini line, which progressed to sepsis and required emergency surgery.
Christy Collins, 28, from Bournemouth, Dorset, first saw a painful bump on her bikini line after shaving, which within days expanded into a rock-hard lump comparable to an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, causing light-headedness, blurred vision, and an inability to walk, leading her to contact 111 and later her GP for antibiotics. A concerned friend convinced her to go to the emergency department, where doctors identified sepsis and rushed her into a one-hour surgery to excise the infected tissue.
Post-operation, she remained in hospital for five days, emerging with a two-inch-deep, five-inch-wide open wound that requires daily dressing and antibiotics. Recovery has left her dependent on her mother for basic care, and she now warns others about the dangers of ignoring infected ingrown hairs after shaving.
