strange blisters

[1worriedfriend]

My Mother has developed strange blister like areas in her armpit and one under her breast. They appear like a small boil and are very dark in color. A small head appears and they burst expelling a dark murkey liquid followed by blood. She says they are extremely tender before they rupture and after they do they look like a darkly bruised patch of skin. The bruising will go away, but it leaves a scar behind resembling a burn. Doctors have treated with different antibiotics and creams but nothing is working. The blisters come right back and sometimes in the same exact location as before. Anybody have any clues as to what this could be and how she can get rid of it? They look extremely painful.

[1worriedfriend]

She has had a lot of blood work done to see if there is any infection the doctor's should be concerned about. They have also tested her blood sugar levels and tested her for immune difficency. All tests keep coming back normal. Everybody is at a loss for the reason behind these blisters. They have tried oral antibiotics, antibiotic creams, nothing works. Sometimes they reoccur in the exact same spot as before. The only thing the doctor's have been able to come up with is maybe they are caused by friction of the skin??? I don't quite understand that. Any advice that I can for her to take back to her doctor would be extremely helpful

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

From the symptoms it looks like boils. A boil, also referred to as a skin abscess, is a localized infection deep in the skin. A boil generally starts as a reddened, tender area. Over time, the area becomes firm and hard. Eventually, the center of the abscess softens and becomes filled with pus. Finally, the pus "forms a head," which can be surgically opened or spontaneously drain out through the surface of the skin.
Recurrent boils are found in diabetes, HIV infection, or other immune system disorders. So please get her blood sugar evaluated.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.