antibiotic resistant chronic impetigo

[abailey99]

I have a frustrating skin infection problem and would like to know if anyone has advice on where I should go from here in regard to it. I'm a 25 yr old female with no previous major health problems before this summer (except I did have my tonsils taken out due to chronic tonsillitis in 2005). About 2 months ago I was diagnosed with impetigo. I had (still have) what look clearly like impetigo lesions/infections all over my face, a few on my arms, chest, stomach, & legs. I have dealt with acne on and off as a pre-teen & again over the last few years. This is definitely not acne- though before it got really bad I thought it was just a weird breakout. For about a month before the worst of the impetigo hit I had a couple of bouts of very swollen/infected lymph nodes. Doctors put me on a few different antibiotics for my lymph nodes. The severe swelling would eventually go away, but now a few of them in my neck seem to be permanently firm and large. My neck is no longer swollen though. I don't know the extent to which this relates to the impetigo or not. I thought I'd add the info just in case. When I decided to go to the doctor about the skin infection (I didn't know it was impetigo yet) I had all these huge crusty lesions and if I washed my face with a wash cloth they bled so bad I thought I would pass out. They also leak the honey colored liquid associated with impetigo as well as all these little white seed looking things (I have no idea how to describe them better). Half of my face and one eye had swollen up really severely. The doctor put me on two different antibiotics at the same time to make sure it got the right strain of whatever the bug is. He told me it should start clearing up in about 3 days & should be gone within a week. Two weeks later and after I had finished both antibiotics it was maybe even a little worse. I would/ still do wash my face with antibacterial soap 3 times a day & use the strongest antibiotic ointment I could find at the drug store. Tea tree oil seems to help a little bit- clearly more than anything else. But its been 2 months almost & the infection is still here & I'm even getting new sores popping up. I'm so frustrated! Is there a certain kind of specialist I should make an appointment with? Is there anything I can be doing that I'm not? I genuinely appreciate any advice or input at all.

[Karaph]

Hi, I am currently going through the same thing. I was just wondering if you were ever able to get completely rid of the impetigo?

[quasibroken]

Get Soolantra

[quasibroken]

Search for the website Oozing yellow crusts

[Lesliekoleary]

Product for your face!! I 100% know how devastated you feel, I’ve cried about this same issue for years, I don’t know if there is a 100% CURE, BUT just like with a lot of desieses there are ways to keep the flare ups down and or under control. You need products for topical skin made mostly WITH SILVER SILVER SILVER, I can’t say it enough. The best product I have found FOR MY FACE where the impetigo was eating me alive.
Natural path “SILVER WINGS” SILVER Aloe Vera Gel w/ tea tree oil 200ppm( which is the silver STRENGTH) the MORE THE BETTER!! I slather a good thick layer on at night and bit thinner on in the morning and I’m still able to apply makeup over this.
Everyday I take GRAPEFRUIT SEEED EXTRACT TABLETs OR CAPSULES. Because the issue is attacking you from the INSIDE AND OUTSIDE!
The baking soda and oatmeal baths one women on here spoke of with her baby , is neutralizing to the infection too and CAN ONLY HELP TOO, these baths are great

[Jessica98765]

J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2011 Apr ;21(4):391-9. PMID: 21532323


An innate bactericidal oleic acid effective against skin infection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a therapy concordant with evolutionary medicine.

Abstract:

Free fatty acids (FFAs) are known to have bacteriocidal activity and are important components of the innate immune system. Many FFAs are naturally present in human and animal skin, breast milk, and in the bloodstream. Here, the therapeutic potential of FFAs against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is demonstrated in cultures and in mice. Among a series of FFAs, only oleic acid (OA) (C18:1, cis-9) can effectively eliminate Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) through cell wall disruption. Lauric acid (LA, C12:0) and palmitic acid (PA, C16:0) do not have this ability. OA can inhibit growth of a number of Gram-positive bacteria, including hospital and community-associated MRSA at a dose that did not show any toxicity to human sebocytes. The bacteriocidal activities of FFAs were also demonstrated in vivo through injection of OA into mouse skin lesions previously infected with a strain of MRSA. In conclusion, our results suggest a promising therapeutic approach against MRSA through boosting the bacteriocidal activities of native FFAs, which may have been co-evolved during the interactions between microbes and their hosts.








CONCLUSION: Manuka honey was effective in eradicating MRSA from 70% of chronic venous ulcers. The potential to prevent infection is increased when wounds are desloughed and MRSA is eliminated. This can be beneficial to prevent cross-infection.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18666717

[quasibroken]

Hey, you getting any better? Please update your progress as we're all in this fight together. I still look like I was hit with toxic waste. I put on a suite, go to work and just murder my emotions to cope with my crazy reality.

[quasibroken]

for those of you not getting healed. I guess I can't write a website name on here, so the address is oozing yellow crusts dot cow . Just turn that last "w" upside down, genius.

Look, we're all getting plagued by something wretched that no one in the medical community knows or cares to address. We need to stick together. We're our only way out.

[frankieapreed]

My email is Frankieapreed at yahoo ******* for additional info.

[frankieapreed]

My 3 yo contacted it after we began family trips to the track this summer. It became so awful that she looked like something from the night of the living dead. She has always had what they say is eczema and creams responded for a while, but would stop. When this infection got worst after 3 days, I took her to the Dr and they gave 2 antibiotics to take for 2 weeks. After the two weeks it was better but not normal. I took matters into my own hands by doing research. I bought a book for the fastest way to cure impetigo.  It is taking time but with this method she is healing drastically.
Take a Bath using 2 cups of Baking soda and a sock with oatmeal in it. The water should be milky. You can run the oatmeal sock on your skin while in the bath. (3 times a day for 20 min)
Apply Bactroban/municoprin ointment to affected area after bath and also apply pure coconut unrefined (a good quality brand) use this after every bath

Apply Eczema lotion for itchiness. Gold bond has a good one and Aveeno.

Also purchase a pro biotic of good quality and take it daily to replenish good bacteria.

After one week of this regime I can stop crying bc my baby is looking soooo much better and actually has an appetite again.

Please change clothing after every bath and wash your sheets daily.

I initially did not use soap at all in her bath then purchased Shae moistures black soap for psoriasis and eczema and apply gently during one bath a day.

I hope this helps. Also get plenty of rest.
I have had to have my daughter sleep with me to monitor her scratching and use socks on her hands.
I have also limited her fluids to plain water and lemon water. To decrease her sugar intake.

She locks so much better.
***@**** if u need clearer instructions or a emailed copy of the book I purchased.

[quasibroken]

I'm kind of impressed that we all share the same curse. I have found basically no solutions and just suffer. I've more or less ended my social life. What we have is impetigo, and it is not impetigo. Something with our bodies makes us prone to it and the medical community doesn't really seem to know much about this affliction. I don't know if any of you have beaten it, but I have not. I am starting to see some progress by using sea buckthorn seed oil supplements by mouth. But I will still get an outbreak sometimes. I would love to know what is wrong with me that this happens. Sometimes I look at my dog and think, god, he is in better health than me.

[blondiemichelle]

Ok I am 40 but this has been going on since I was 23 - had tonsils removed due to reoccurring strep when I was younger. Continual breakouts antibiotics and muprocin cream clear it up and then it comes right back your description and the white seed like presence is exactly what I deal with and the tonsils removed is just like my case as well. just finished another round of antibiotics and face was great last week a mess again now this week. I have been to multiple specialists, Mayo Clinic and still I keeps coming back. Any luck with a solution? I never give up but come on I don't want to have to pile on the makeup daily just to look like I don't have a flesh eating disease

[nax99]

Hi guys. I have a similar problem that I can only describe as chronic/recurring impetigo that's been going on for more than 3 years now. Areas of my face and scalp would develop into tiny blisters, and then break out and ooze a wierd yellowy liquid that would crust over and become hard. No matter how much I would try and stop the oozing with a tissue, they wouldn't stop until the ooze had formed large brown-yellow crusty scabs, and there would be whiteheads around them waiting to burst as well... so annoying.  I say "annoying", but in reality it's a lot more depressing because I know the next day I would have to go to work looking like I had a bad disease.  It was usually around my mouth and nose, and at the back of my head,  and it would make me feel very self conscious especially when talking to people at work.  I always feel a bit tingly on my face before an outbreak, and it's very tempting to rub my face a lot which always makes the outbreak worse in the places that I itch.

I went to see 2 doctors and they both told me I had impetigo.  I went on a course of Erythromycin for 4 months, and although the infection cleared up, it came back as soon as I completed the course.  A few months ago my girlfriend had a cut on her cheek, and contracted impetigo, which must have been from me, but she cleared up totally in about 2 weeks, and it didn't return.  This confirmed my suspicion that I have some kind of problem with chronic impetigo.

I don't know why I can't seem to fight off this infection for good (my guess is I might have some kind of immuno-deficiency or over productive sebum glands), but I do know that I can manage it if I watch what I eat and take care of my skin.  Through trial and error in my diet, I found that sugar and dairy trigger it off big time, so I try and stay away as much as I can from those things.  Milk chocolate is my worst enemy!  I switched to hazelnut / almond milk which I now use instead of cow's milk (I never knew hazelnut milk tastes like chocolate milshake!).  The doc prescribed some antibacerial/antifungal soap, and my girlfriend bought me some sulphur soap, but they didn't work AT ALL.  If anything it made my skin really dry and even more prone to outbreaks.  I use JASON tea tree body wash on my face in the shower (this is the gentlest soap I've found), although no matter what soap I use, my skin gets dry and flaky.  This brings me to moisturizing; commercial skin moisturizers require a lot of rubbing into the skin to absorb it, try to minimize contact with your skin as much as possible because impetigo moves very easily from area to area.  I use olive oil which is absorbed into the skin much more easily.  You can literally just dab a couple of drops onto an area of your face with a tissue, and then use a dry tissue to dab the excess off.  Keep your towels and bed linen clean and washed, especially your pillow cases because this is where the impetigo rubs off onto, and so you don't keep re-infecting yourself constantly.  Same goes for your hands, and computer keyboard, try to keep them clean and disinfected, but most importantly don't touch your face too much.

The most powerful thing I've found to work is to have a soak in the sea.  If you live far away from the sea (like I do), make it a road trip and bring back bottled seawater so you can use it at home.  (and if it doesn't work, I hope at least you enjoy a day at the beach!).  I use a few splashes on my face at night and in the morning, and then leave it to dry.  This cleared my face better than the antibiotics (although it HAS to be seawater, I have not had the same results with homemade salt water or even using expensive Dead Sea salts and mixing it with hot water).

The only other advice I can give you (and I'm not a doctor so take this with a pinch of salt) is to keep carrying out your own research on the net.  The most horrible feeling is a feeling of hopelessness, so never let yourself feel hopeless because the stress that comes with this is a MASSIVE factor for your health.  Get to know as much as you can about the science and even the medical terms behind this condition (know about staph infections, it's characteristics, for instance, if your doc hasn't given you a nose-swab yet, get this done because that's where it can hide).   It is essential you do research before you go to see a doc so you can explain your symptoms more clearly, ask questions more specifically and even suggest treatments (docs always seem to be much more helpful and interested if you show that you can ask things with even a little bit of scientific knowledge).  Make sure you tell them what foods you've tried to cut out, and any other things you've tried (for example don't use hot water on your face for a couple of weeks and see if that helps).  Be a part of the process instead of receiving treatments without knowing why they should be working. Could stress be a part of it?  Try finding out how to reduce your stress, get more sleep, even praying can lead to psychological benefit and calmness.

I wish you all the best, you'll be fine.  Please keep us updated.  =)

[quasibroken]

I also highly recommend a product called Cerave, which can be purchased over the counter at Walgreens, Target, Walmart, etc. I've had very good results using the facewash, then using the lotion throughout the day. Also I've found its crucial to wash my face only with warm (not hot) water, and then  rinse with cold water. Good luck.

[quasibroken]

I think a big turning point for me was when I was able to rule out fungal/bacterial agents as a cause. What I believe is going on is that these outbreaks are an overproduction of sebum. If it truly was impetigo or some sort of virus, why then has none of my family contracted it from me over these many years? Also, when I look at family history I have lupus in the family. This is a vague disease, but it does have many skin manifestations. Don't put too much faith in doctors. Begin your own trial and error tests. The big thing I want to reiterate is to limit exposure to heat and possibly sunlight. Consider computers and televisions as a cause also http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/09/000919080653.htm

[ruinedface]

Thanks for your reply. I am glad you are seeing some relief. Yes, in total desperation I have spent the past 3 years researching and trying different things in addition to those treatments sanctioned by the doctors. I have tried "natural" cures such as apple cider vinegar (ouch!) and various oils. I have tried sugar free, dairy free, gluten free, organic, vegetarian, etc diets. I have had allergy testing. I have tried ivermectin in case it was mites. I have ordered meds from Mexico (Barmicil, a "kitchen sink" ointment with an antifungal, an antibiotic, and a strong steroid). I have used Protopic an ointment which suppresses immune response (black box warning on this one but I would take skin cancer over my problems). I have gotten worse with each and every topical treatment, sadly now including the mupirocin I have been using this week. Aczone is a topical that TEMPORARILY makes skin less red. NOT a solution just a stopgap. Does not remove lesions, just a redness blocker. Hydrogen peroxide baths seem to help it somewhat but the lesions keep filling back up and if they scab over they don't drain and the swelling is so painful. Eventually the hydrogen peroxide dries it out too much and then it starts hurting a lot when I apply it so I have to back off. I know I can't stay on oral prednisone tablets forever, but they do help (ONLY helps with the swelling. You could not even see my nose bones a few weeks ago so the derm prescribed them after I arrived in tears from the pain).  
Honestly I don't know what to try next. I don't even remember what it was like to look in the mirror and see clear skin. I am a monster now. This has psychologically damaged me so much. If it were not for my dogs I would not go on. I can not go out in public, there are few times I can pull off looking close to acceptable even with heavy makeup, but then the makeup irritates me so much that it is a real set back for days so I rarely resort to it. I really hoped that moving would have cured me. I know there was a mold issue at the home in FL so I thought I could blame that. At least here in WA I am not sweating so yes that is an improvement. I know sun or heat makes it worse. There is some talk of me having lupus although the blood tests are always negative. They put me on one lupus med in October (plaquenil) but I had to stop because it made me lose my vision after 10 days. Sadly, it is a med that takes months and months of use to know if it will help you, and really not sure if it is indeed cutaneous lupus anyway. Florida was where this started 3 years ago (age 43) until then my skin was good. I just can not believe there is NO explanation for this! They are sending me to the medical school here in WA state (Seattle) but at this point I have little hope and my appt is not for 2 months unless someone cancels. Have you tried any laser or IPL treatments? I did a few IPL early on and it seemed to help a little but it was not even that bad then. I don't know if you can do them often enough or if I could even afford constant IPL. Is it possible that this is indeed some weird bacteria that biopsies and tests are missing? Is it dangerous to use diluted bleach on these open lesions? I would try anything at this point.    

[quasibroken]

I know the symptoms well as they mirror what I've suffered through for over half of my life since I was about seventeen years old. I've taken almost ever antibiotic imaginable. I've been to BOTH mayo clinics. They even put me on a leperacy medication. My face bears ugly scars from how many times doctors have taken a knife and cut deep biopsies off my face only to shake their head and say they have no idea. What I have mirrors impetigo 100%, however it is not impetigo because impetigo is something that goes away in a week after a course of antibiotics. I've given up on doctors. If antibitocs don't work on something, then doctors don't really seem to know what to do. What I've done in my life is trial and error. Every week is a battle of trying new things, eliminating others. Whatever strange ailment I have will never go away completely- I've come to terms with this. But there are triggers that make it worse. From my years of personal trial and error, I can give you a list of things that worsen my problem and you can maybe get some ideas for your own battle. Heat is a big factor. If I take a hot shower and let the water warm up my face, it creates problems. I cannot do hot compresses. I have reactions to yogurt and licorice. Coffee and tea, or anything with caffeine, is a diuretic and dries your skin out. I have eliminated my deep love for both coffee and tea. My skin improved markedly once I COMPLETELY removed dairy. I lived in Europe for a while and did not have the skin problems like I do in America. American food, especially dairy, has so much preservatives and crap in it that I think it truly affects your differently. I can attest to this from my own experience with eating cheese every day in Italy and not having skin problems. A big thing also worth considering is the heat you encounter emanating from devices such as cell phones, computers and especially laptops. I cannot use laptops. If I sit at a laptop for an hour, it literally 'burns' my face. Another big turning point was when I stopped taking simvistatin for high cholesterol. I had been taking it for years and when I stopped, my skin issues got less severe. It's never going to go away completely, but I can live with one or two outbreaks a month. These are the strategies that have worked well for me. And don't rule anything out. I went for years thinking, 'Oh, the cholesterol medicine couldn't be a factor,' or 'dairy couldn't be a factor.' You have to dedicate yourself to trial and error tests on your own. The doctors don't care and don't know what will heal you. Take control of your own fate.

[ruinedface]

I have similar issues. Going back to the past three years living in Florida. No help from the derm there.....biopsies inconclusive. At one point told I had lupus, then no. The lesions are very friable and bleed and ooze profusely, even just wiping with a cotton ball and warm compress. It has ruined my life and made me a recluse. I am a monster. People think I have AIDS or that I am a meth addict. Even the dr in Florida blamed me, saying I was anxious. Well, if your face looked like this you would be "anxious" too, you Ahole. Nothing I tried helped. Thousands of dollars in topical meds. A virtual laundry list of stuff failed. IPL treatments Hydrogen peroxide baths, antifungals, antibiotics, Protopic, Aczone, all the rosacea meds, ivermectin, various steroid creams, Barmicil from Mexico, apple cider vinegar (OUCH!),  alcohol, bleach, sulfer, salacylic acid, hell I would have applied battery acid if I thought it would work.  I just moved to WA state and am hopefully in better care, although the derm is passing me off to the medical school now. Who knows how long that appt will take to come thru???? Oral prednisone was necessary now  because the facial swelling was so severe I could not even see/feel my nose bones. It is incredibly painful even to touch lightly when the lesions/swelling is bad. They are blistery and even when they look healed (rare) there is a lumpy area in that spot under the skin and they can suddenly "reactivate" for no apparent reason and  be right back where they were. The derm now put me on topical mupirocin and I am cautiously optimistic. It does look and sound like impetago but I am wondering if now that it is so severe and long standing that it has not "graduated" to being classified as erythyma. It does seem to have already made scars and discolored areas. I used to be a model when i was younger and never had skin issues til I moved to Florida. This 3 year ordeal has left me suicidal. Thank goodness for my dogs or I might not be here. Will I ever get better and how much permanent damage have I suffered? When I read some of these posts of people going on like this for 20 years it makes me so sad.

[Karaph]

Hi, I am going through the same thing. We’re you ever able to get completely rid of it?

[quasibroken]

Did you ever defeat this? I have exactly the same symptoms as you and have been battling this for 18 years.

[Karaph]

I’m going through the same thing. Were you ever able to get completely rid of it?

[markdoc]

try colloidal silver, the highest strength. works like an antibiotic.

[wrestlingsaveslives]

When you have impetigo, you have to keep all your clothes clean.  Every time you seem to have sweat even a little, change your clothes.  Don't leave your clothes hanging around.  Wash your clothes everyday since you should go through about 4 or 5 sets of clothes if you do this right.  Take a shower about 3 times a day and make sure u dry yourself well.  Do not reuse your towel.  Just stay clean, stay dry, and wash your clothes every day.  

[northamerica]

Please consider trying an antibiotic ointment called Fucidin.  Worked well on extensive scalp condition.