I have bumps around my anus. When I pop one a thick white substance comes out. Should I be concerned?

There are many causes of skin problems in the anal area, including sexually transmitted infections such as warts and non-sexually transmitted infections such as infected hair follicles. Your description of a bump filled with a thick white substance could be a small boil or abscess, which can happen when a hair follicle gets infected, or could be a pilonidal cyst, which is another skin condition that occurs in the anal area. You can try holding pressure with a washcloth soaked in warm water to the area to see if the bumps go away. This will often treat simple infected hair follicles or boils. If the bumps don’t go away, or if a bump becomes very red or tender or you have a fever, you should see your primary health care provider.