On 4/9/2020 at 7:19 PM, Treame said:

Hey guys,

 

I'm glad to have come across this thread because for the longest time I thought I was the only person afflicted with this particular condition. I've spent the last 4 years trying to get to the bottom of it and underwent all kinds of treatment (everything from antibiotics to diet restrictions) and unfortunately nothing has cured it. I have learned a little bit about what exactly it is and how to minimize the breakouts so I will be sharing my story.

 

I always had acne growing up. My skin is naturally oily so that coupled with hormonal developments in adolescence caused lead to manybreakouts throughout my teenage years. That pretty much went away by the time I started college with a few rare pimples here and there, it was something I could live with. However, it wasn't until my third year in university did it start appearing more frequently on my chin. It was evenly spread out on the tip of my chin and the pustules would arise very often, almost every other day. It had a strange feeling unlike the kind of acne I was used to growing up. It had a slight itch to it, and tugged at my skin like it was begging to be touched or scratched. It was unusual but I never paid much attention to it because I thought it was hormonal and that it would eventually go away. It persisted throughout the rest of my time in college. It wasn't until the 4th year of universitydid I notice a new area of breakouts on the right side of my cheek. It, too, started experiencing frequent pustules and pimples in the same areas of particular part that samecheek. It became apparent to me that this wasn't the normal kind of acne so I decided to see a dermatologist. To my dismay, she said it was probably hormonal and prescribed topical tretinoin and BP. Like you all know, these treatments only dried the pustule up and reduced the redness but never cured the issue. So I stopped using them because I was positive the issue wasn't hormonal.

 

I decided to start writing in a journal everything I did and everything I ate for a year and noted whenever there was a new pustule and in what area. After much trial and error, and the most restrictive/healthy diet you can imagine I realized that the pustules/pimples correlated with the amount of physical activity I did that particular day. I tested this again by going few weeks without much exercise/physical activity and the pustules died down dramatically. I even remember staying home for a few months longer just to test it out and it was completely gone. But whenever I venture outside of my house, even if it's just to go get groceries, it would come back again.I was originally exercising every other day doing cardio and weightlifting. The exercise was never extreme so this shocked me. This made me think there was something wrong internally (overworked organ or distressed digestive system?). So I didall kinds of physical tests (hormonal included) and everything turned out normal. Everything was well within healthy range for my age. I even went to see a stomach doctor to test for H Pylori and have my upper and lower GI tracts tested out. Everything was fine. Did a SIBO test and still nothing.

 

I was pretty demoralized after all that investigation with zero insight into what might be causing this. So I decided to see another dermatologist with all this updated info. She took one look at the affected areas of my face and said it was folliculitis. She did a culture swab and a nasal test for staph areaus (bacterial folliculitis) and confirmed thats what was causing the pustules. She prescribed cefalexin, as well as anti-bacterial soap and topical medicine calledciproflaxin. I underwent the treatment as prescribed and much like most people on here, it worked well for the first few weeks. But once the prescription ended it came back. So I went back to see her and she said the reason was because it was a deep infection of the hair follicle. I asked what could be done about this and she suggested I continue using the anti-bacterial soap and a toner to keep the pores tight to prevent the pustules from arising again. She said that there wasn't a cure for deep infections like mine and that I had to stick to the regimen for long enough to change the culture of my skin. I don't believe that will work because even though I go 5-6 months sticking to the anti bacterial soap and toner, the pustules always come back whenever I go for a run or go out for an extended period of time.

 

(This is an aside but I also noticed at the end of the day when I wash my face before bed there's this white-ish oily hue to the hair on my chin/cheek areas. It's the type of bacterial/oil that's emitting from those infectedfollicles. So if you see this too chances are you have bacterial folliculitis)

 

Whenever there's a pustule it's almost always surrounding a hair follicle (the hair is poking right through it) and when it's not it's right next to one. After doing a bit of research into staph aureas it became apparent that one of the most popular places this bacteria lives in is the nasal passage, and that one of the signs that you have it is a really small, almost indiscernible bump on one of your nostrils. Which Ihave. I'm sure if you look up "papule on nostril" you'll see what I'm talking about. This is important to note because I specifically remember a time when I usedused my beard trimmer to trimthe hairs at the edge of my nostrils before re-using it on my face (stupid, I know). But I believe that's exactly how it spread there. About 10% of the population has staph aureaus (nasal passage, throat, or other parts of the body) and most of them don't notice because it's harmless. It only becomes an issue when you have a cut and it somehow penetrates it. Whenever you shave your face you're essentially making micro cuts on your skin. This is how the staph aureaus nestles itself into your hair follicle. It then grows by feedingoff sweat and yeast which is why it was at its worstwhenever I'd exercise or go out in the sun. This is also why my dermatologist recommends anti-bacterial soap with zinc or sulphur, as well as toner. They don't fight this infection, all they do is dry out the skin follicles and prevent them from producing oil that eventually lead to clogged pores which ultimately lead to the pustules. This is a surface level infection, meaning (if you have bacterial folliculitis) nothing you do with your diet or supplementation will have any affect. The reason some people are reporting success with diet restrictions or probiotics is due to circumstance in my opinion. It's possible they aren't as physically active as when they had less restrictive diets. This is further reinforced by the complete lack of redness I notice on my infected areas in the morning right when I wake up (after 12 hours of inactivity). I'm sure certain unhealthy foods make your face produce more oil so avoiding them will definitely help but it's not the cause. If, like me, you have bacterial folliculitis then this is 100% an infection in the facial hair follicle by either staph aureaus or some other bacteria. This is also why people that get the sides of their heads buzzed who already have staph aureaus bacteria living on their skin eventually end up with folliculitis on their scalps. Cutting the hair that short can lead to the possibility of damaging the hair follicles which opens them up to be infected.I highly suggest you see your dermatologist to confirm this by doing culture tests for staph aureaus and whatever else they suggest. Bacterial folliculitis is just one type of folliculitis, so you might have a completely different kind of folliculitis. But for me, the prevention of sebum production through routine maintenance (anti bacterial soap, toner), as well as reduction in the amount of physical activity I do has helped to reduce the breakouts.

 

Obviously remaining physicallyinactive JUST to stop your pores from opening up/sweating/producing sebum isn't sustainable. I really miss exercising as frequently as I did back in college. Butthis is behavioral change is what's causing the most noticeable reduction in the amount of pustules I produce. That and washing my face 2-3 times a day to prevent the possibility of clogging of pores. I still remain on a healthy diet because it's beneficial mentally and spiritually but I highly doubt it's the main cause (again, oily foods can act as a catalyst for your skin to produce more sebum/yeast which can easily get clogged so avoiding them will help limit the amount of pustules you produce but they aren't the cause imo).

 

I really wish this was a diet/gut flora imbalance because then it would be easier to fix. There's a few posts in here by people with dermatitis and other issues that aren't bacterial folliculitis but look identical to it. For them, the probiotics and restoration of gut flora probably does work (I don't know much about those conditions) but I can confidently say it doesn't cure bacterial folliculitis. I spent the last year and a half on a healthy diet with zero cheat days to no avail. Does anyone have any experience with facial hair removal through laser? If this is a hair follicle problem then I would think that completely removing the hairs through laser will have some positive affect on the problem right? I did a quick search for "laser hair removal folliculitis" and found some posts that report that it works. But they're usually women using it for areas with hair that's less coarse/thick than a male's beard. I'm at the point where I wouldn't mind giving up my beard all together just to get rid of this thing.

 

I apologize for the wall of text. That's just been my journey fighting this thing for the last couple of years. I saw in a previous post someone started a group chat to discuss this further. I would love to be added to that GC for further communication. I think it's a great idea to stay in touch with people that are suffering from the same condition so that you don't feel alone.

How you contacted this disease is also important. For most of the people on this thread it has resulted from an antibiotic course (for acne , surgery, etc.) which most probably destroyed their gut flora. And that is the reason everybody here is advocating this condition to be gut related because not only it has totally fucked up their skin but it has also made their gut health & digestion go haywire which wasn't the case before taking antibiotics.

15 hours ago, rebelheart said:

How you contacted this disease is also important. For most of the people on this thread it has resulted from an antibiotic course (for acne , surgery, etc.) which most probably destroyed their gut flora. And that is the reason everybody here is advocating this condition to be gut related because not only it has totally fucked up their skin but it has also made their gut health & digestion go haywire which wasn't the case before taking antibiotics.

Rebelheart, I have not been in your shoes to have any knowledge with what you are experiencing , but reading your post I wanted to comment on your question about laser hair removal. I use to experience these HUGE nodules bumps ( kinda like boils) in the inside of my legs. Most would say they were infected hairs or follicles. I tried exfoliating, topicals and even stopped shaving and I would still get them. So I personally did laser hair removal in that area and I can say from experience I have not had any bumps since having that procedure done. Doesnt matter how corse hair is or thin only thing the follicles have to be dark. The machine doesnt pick up blonde, white or red hairs. I would absolutely try the laser hair removal.

15 hours ago, Paige123 said:

Rebelheart, I have not been in your shoes to have any knowledge with what you are experiencing , but reading your post I wanted to comment on your question about laser hair removal. I use to experience these HUGE nodules bumps ( kinda like boils) in the inside of my legs. Most would say they were infected hairs or follicles. I tried exfoliating, topicals and even stopped shaving and I would still get them. So I personally did laser hair removal in that area and I can say from experience I have not had any bumps since having that procedure done. Doesnt matter how corse hair is or thin only thing the follicles have to be dark. The machine doesnt pick up blonde, white or red hairs. I would absolutely try the laser hair removal.

Thanks for the information Paige123. Did you ever see a dermatologist regarding the nodule bumps on your legs? If so, did they say it was folliculitis? And you say the nodules were on the inside of your legs, did they never come out like a pimple/pustule?

Rebelheart, No I never did see the dermatologist for this situation. I did however bring it to my OBGYN when I was pregnant cuz thats when they all started and they literally hurt me to walk. He didnt say too much about them nor was too concerned about them. Kinda just said ingrown hairs and to not pop them, to let them pop on their own. Why he said not to pop them was cuz I told him they were so painful I needed some relief and I was getting needle to try and pop them. After having my daughter the flair up seemed to subside and I would still get them but nothing like before. The past 6 months I started getting them again, so I stopped shaving and still had them. Some would have white heads and some would be just a painful boil type and just hurt. After they would go away they would leave this horrible dark purple spot even if I didnt mess with them. It was embarrassing to me if I wanted to wear bathing suit and just all around something I was very insecure about .My aesthetician told me she had same issue as well as how common it is with others. Laser removal is killing the hair follicle, so if there isnt a follicle, hair cant grow there or become infected. As far as the scars go,doing a peel will take care of those.

Friends,

I've had what looked like acne for the last 6 years, I'm a 37yo white male.

Since I started applying an ivermectin 1% cream (Soolantra) every night2 weeks ago, Ihave been almost completelypimple-free.

It is likely thatwe do not allhave the same skin issue or issues, solet's keep that in mind. However I had foundthisthreadpromising because my pimples looked like the ones in your photos.

I have had pimples around the mouth,cheeks (around thenasolabial folds), nose, scalp,chestand back. Pimples would first look like a red blemish then becomebumpy, wouldeven be sore sometimes, then turn intoa white head (pustule)that wouldeventually empty itself (whole thing would take 1-2 days). Then later on it would break out again on the exact same spot, and/or spread nearby.I would neverpick the white headsin fear it would make things worse. My break outs start witha feeling of burning/humid heat,tingling,and dryness of the skin. Sometimes I swear I can feel something crawling on my skin but can't see anything moving with the naked eye (never tried using a magnifier).

A previous game changer for me was to use asulfur ointment (De la Cruz) and an azelaic acid cream (Finacea), just likethe routinejcbdigger365postedin this thread. No more pimples around the mouth but stillon the cheeks so I had to find something better.

Jcbdigger365 said a dermatologisttold him he hadRosacea type 2 (aka papulopustular rosacea). Someone also mentioned the postcured-10-years-of-severe-nodular-cystic-body-acne-gone-in-weeks-long-post-extensive-serious(guy curedpimples on hisback with ivermectin and not shampooing his hair ever again). Both ivermectin and azelaic acidwork wellfor rosacea butstudiesshowed ivermectin to bemore effective. Hence why I decided to try ivermectin.

I used tonot believe I had rosaceabecausea Google search justshowed mephotos that didn'tlooklike acne-looking pimples, but more like red marks andnot thewhite head pimplesthatall of us here were having.

Also I quicklystopped reading about rosacea at the mention of demodex mites. I just thought no way that can't be it.Stupid me, I should have kept on reading. Instead I went down the rabbit holeabout fungal acne and read a lot of articles onsimpleskincarescience.com. After all,sulfur and azelaic acidsignificantly helpedme and they are mentionedtowork well for fungal acne/malassezia so this lead looked more promising than rosacea. But Itried anti-fungal topicals: ketaconazole (Nizoral),climbazole (NodeP), terbenafine (Lamisil), clotrimazole (Canesten), nystatin (Mycostatin) and none reallyhelped ormaybe evenmadethingsworse. Moisturising with jojoba oil, squalane (olive-based) and CeraveBaby didn't really helpeither.

The only other big game changer for me was tofast for several days (3 to 5 days). No solid food, only cold-pressed juices (carrot+pumpkin, beetroot+sweet potato, celery+cucumber etc). After a 3-day or a 5-dayfast I could eat whatever for a week or two before starting to breakout again. I thought maybe fastinghelped because it was allowing my guts to heal (like many of us here I still think this all stems froma gut issue)and/or maybe it was decreasing my sebum production and the mites population as a result.

When myskin was at its best, I noticed I wouldbreak out every 2-3 weeks. I could last2 weeks with only a fewsmall/unnoticeable pimples. ButI could never gomore than3 weekswithout somebigger pimples breaking out.ApparentlyDemodex mites live for less than 3 weeks and their eggs hatch in less than 3 days. They only come out of their pore at night and travel at most 6mm to mate.

Needless to say, shaving my beardwas not an option during these years, so I would just trim mybeard once a week 2mm short.

Every year I go skying in the Alps and my skin wouldclear up in less than a week. Maybe the cold and/or the altitude helped(temperatures close to 0Care harmful to the mites). It could not be sun exposure as I live in a sunny climate all year round(Queensland, Australia). On the drive home from the ski,I would start breaking out in the car!

Sweets, junk food, alcohol, stress, wheat are big time triggers. Maybe because it increases sebum production, and the mites population as a result.

My skin fullycleared up with Tetracycline tabs (Doxycycline)at 100mg/day for 2 weeks. Then pimples gradually came back after going on lower dose (50mg/day) for 3 months. I then tried aMupirocin cream (Bactrobran)withanother oral antibiotics for Staph Aureus but it didn't help.

I have tried many other things thatdidn't help so I won't mention them.

Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic and not an antibiotic so no concerns about resistance. Iused an online doctor websiteto get a prescription. The "consultation" only lasted 5', doctor barely spoke English so lucky I wrote what I wanted in a form before the video call started.

I'll keep you updated but so far so good!Only a couple of small pimples in the first week. Possibly due to mites dying off/decomposing and releasing the B. oleronius bacteria that triggers that crazy big inflammatoryresponse. I still have red marks (post-inflammatory-erythema?) on both cheeks (around the nasolabial folds) from the 5-6old recurringpimples that kept coming backformonths before I started Soolantra 2 weeks ago andthey have stayed putsince then. Skin is nice & flat and not bumpy like before.

Here's my regimen:

• am: sulfur ointment (De La Cruz) for 10'then shower. Then I mix 1 drop of tea tree oil with couple of drops ofHyaluronic Acid. Then I let it sink inbefore applying Cerave PM
• pm: Bioderma Sensibio H2O Water on a cotton pad to "wash" face, then Soolantra

Obviously I still getpimpleson scalp, back & chestbut they're notas bad. Oral ivermectin may clear it all up but just like antibiotics it sounds likei'd nukemy guts. Like bacteria, parasites mayplay an important role in our gutswho knows. And since rosaceamay bea gut issue and/orsome element of immune underperformance thatallowed the mites topopulate beyond a threshold, I will stick to the cream for now.

Hope this helps. Much love

Guys pls help, anyone got out of this?

@seb7 did ivermectin working,any updates plz help

An update from me...

An interesting thing happened. So, I have managed this condition with a very strict diet and had great results, up until ~3 weeks ago. I started experiencing one of the covid19 symptoms, shortness of breath, which as result pretty much broke my perfect diet and I started eating dairy and gluten, as I couldn't prepare food. As expected, two days laterwhite zitsreturned again but I didn't care so much because I had trouble breathing which was far worse. I did a full blood test, visited a doctor, and it turned out I had a bacterial infection.

The doctor prescribed me an antibiotic to fight it. I was very concerned and asked a bunch of questions about safety because I didn't want to destroy what's left of my alreadydysfunctional microbiome, but I was assured it would be fine, as I didn't abuse antibiotics and the last one that I tookwas like 15 years ago. Also, it was only supposed to be taken just for 5 days in combination with probiotics.

I listened and 5 days later, shortness of breath disappeared, and I also noticed that around the mouth I don't have any active zits. Today, 10 days later after stopped taking antibiotics,I'm completely clean. I became quite lazy while being sick, so I just ate pretty much junk food and it looks like it doesn't affect the skin in any way. I heard those miracle stories before with antibiotics, but that it only lasts for a brief period of time, so I'm expecting zitsany day now, but at least it's confirmed the problemis definitely in the gut.

edit: ok I see now that this antibiotic is supposed to fight skin infectionsamong other things, so I guess it's just one-time thing and won't be able to stop new infections pretty soon. Well, it was good while it lasted.

@UnkemptGroundcan you please tell us what were the antibiotics?

@One and onlyit's beenexactly 4 weeks (I started on 8 Apr2020) and my skin's still great, to the pointI have beenshavingagain. I have had somepimplesbreaking out aroundweek 3but they were small, isolated and did not spread. Probably justa die-off (mites decomposing and releasing the B. oleroniusbacteria).

Ican definitively confirmthatthe demodex mites were causing my break outs since I have hadconstant improvement for 28 days.

I still don't know what exactly lead them tobecome so harmful.Is itgut dysbiosis, under-performing immune system,something else? I may never know and hopefully won't ever need to. Yet something must have contributed to the mites becoming a problem to my skin(population overgrowth, weaker skin defences ...).

>can you please tell us what were the antibiotics?
Sure, https://www.healthline.com/health/levofloxacin-oral-tablet

Hey, guys, I'm coming back with some promising information.I went to see my doctor and he confirmed what I saw on this post and on different internet sources.

Many of us suffer from a staphylococcus infection, this very resistant and inflammatory bacterium is lodged inside the nose but also in the ears. It is very contagious and develops on bedding and also on bath towels.

To get rid ofit it's necessary to use different topical products such as mupirocin or face washwith chlorexidine (Hibiclens).

I know what it's like, guys, waking up every day with white pimples that strangely always show up in the same places, it's really depressing...

I'll come back to this topic if I have any conclusive results...
good luck to all

2 hours ago, PhilanthropeImberbe said:

Hey, guys, I'm coming back with some promising information.I went to see my doctor and he confirmed what I saw on this post and on different internet sources.

Many of us suffer from a staphylococcus infection, this very resistant and inflammatory bacterium is lodged inside the nose but also in the ears. It is very contagious and develops on bedding and also on bath towels.

To get rid ofit it's necessary to use different topical products such as mupirocin or face washwith chlorexidine (Hibiclens).

I know what it's like, guys, waking up every day with white pimples that strangely always show up in the same places, it's really depressing...

I'll come back to this topic if I have any conclusive results...
good luck to all

 

I'm also nowpretty sure this isstaphylococcus infection that we're experiencing.I see thatmupirocin is an antibiotic, so I'm not sure if that's the way to go, as today I already started seeing the return of white zits, less than two week after stopping antibiotic treatment. According to multiple research papers, It looks like that staph becomesresistant to antibiotics very fast.

On the bright side, it's been mentioned that curcumin (compound found in turmeric) is able toinhibitthe growth ofstaphylococcus. I guess trying out a curcumin supplement could be a way to fix this...

Hello, I just read this whole thread (32 pages!).I have been suffering a very similar condition to you allfor many years. The only difference is I get frequent spots on my scalp too.I took Tetracycline(oral antibiotic) in my 20s which I think is what may have begun this condition.In order of likelihood, I am suspicious whether it's Staph infection,gram-negative folliculitis, type 2 rosacea, fungal, or mites.

I am currently on day 2 of washing with chlorhexidine (hibiscrub) which should help with Staph. I find putting this in my nose too uncomfortable. I'll pick up Bactroban cream tomorrow.I noticed Corsodyl gel (for mouth ulcers) has 1%chlorhexidinewhich might be a milder solution for membranes and in ears. I'm also mixing 10% BP cream with Cetaphil lotion to make a BP lotion to rub in my hair.

If I see no improvement in 4 weeks, I'm going to try azeliac acid and sulphur soap, which are the treatments for type 2 rosacea. After that, I'll tryLamisil cream and Climbazole shampoo formalassezia fungus. The last option would beSoolantra (ivermectin) for mites, which is a new treatment for rosacea.

I'll report back here if anything works!

Taking oral antibiotics like Lymecycline help me, but only temporarily. For a while taking high doses of cod liver oil, vitamin B5, and zinc supplements seemed to be beneficial, but not at the moment. Living in very dry climates like Southern California and NaganoJapan (below freezing point) made my skin clear.

I would like a skin swab test but getting one is not easy right now during this crisis.

Gram-negative folliculitis was not mentioned in this thread much.This article talks about it:

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-57191-6_70

All the best

Edit: Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread and posted information. Most of the solutions I am trying, I learned here!

hey @Scrubdaddy@UnkemptGround

I know what it is guys, I've been trying for 3 days now to put Bactroban in my nose and ears.
I don't want to get too optimistic too fast, but it seems to be working. My skin is no longer oily, pimples don't appear.

I sincerely think that you should do some tests like an analysis to be really sure what it is.

Like you said, staph infection is the first suspect, but it could be something else.

Something that really helps for the face is to use a topical gel or BP-based cleanser, and rinse it off after a few minutes. This should kill all bacteria and be less drying than a daily cleansing with chlorexidine.

For better healing, look at your diet. Many people seem to say that carbohydrates, and sugar in general, seem to make the symptoms worse.

I think it's easy to fall into the trap of overdoing it, don't overdo topical products or you will ruin your moisture barrier, which will lead to dry sores again.

That's all I've learned over the last few years, I hope you will find your cure.

.

Sorry for my english, not my native language !

13 hours ago, PhilanthropeImberbe said:

hey @Scrubdaddy @UnkemptGround

I know what it is guys, I've been trying for 3 days now to put Bactroban in my nose and ears.
I don't want to get too optimistic too fast, but it seems to be working. My skin is no longer oily, pimples don't appear. 

I sincerely think that you should do some tests like an analysis to be really sure what it is. 

Like you said, staph infection is the first suspect, but it could be something else.

Something that really helps for the face is to use a topical gel or BP-based cleanser, and rinse it off after a few minutes. This should kill all bacteria and be less drying than a daily cleansing with chlorexidine.

For better healing, look at your diet. Many people seem to say that carbohydrates, and sugar in general, seem to make the symptoms worse.

I think it's easy to fall into the trap of overdoing it, don't overdo topical products or you will ruin your moisture barrier, which will lead to dry sores again.

That's all I've learned over the last few years, I hope you will find your cure. 

. 

Sorry for my english, not my native language ! 

Hey man, your English is great, don't worry about that

All right, Bactroban or mupirocin, is something that I researched a lot since your previous message. It looks like it's something that certainly works against staph and would help out, my only concern is the potential resistance.  

Anyway, can you tell me, about your oily skin ? What kind of oily do you mean ? Is it the forehead and nose ? Is it oily all the time ? I also have a big issue with oily skin, my face becomes oily like 30 minutes after washing it with water, did you experience the same before and now it's gone ?

@PhilanthropeImberbe

I hope Bactroban is the solution for you. I was getting spots around my ears and nose, so I was highly suspicious the source could be there. I think BP helps me, however I find it uncomfortable and causes my skin to get sweaty/greasy. it bleaches my pillow and clothes too!

I am mixing thechlorexidine with my normal face soap. I agree it may be too harsh for daily use. My skin reacts and then ends up greasier.I may switch to washing with E45 shampoo which containsclimbazole.

Also forgot to mention, I have a tube of Rosex(Metronidazole) cream which is prescribed for rosacea. It seems quite mild and non-irritating so I'm trying that aswell at the moment.

20 hours ago, UnkemptGround said:

H© mec, ton anglais est super, ne t'en fais pas

, d' accord ,  Bactroban ou mupirocine, c'est quelque chose que j'ai beaucoup recherch© depuis ton message pr©c©dent. Il semble que c'est quelque chose qui fonctionne certainement contre le staphylocoque et aiderait, ma seule pr©occupation est la r©sistance potentielle.  

Quoi qu'il en soit, pouvez-vous me parler de votre peau grasse? De quel type de gras parlez-vous? Est-ce le front et le nez? Est-il toujours gras? J'ai aussi un gros probl¨me avec la peau grasse, mon visage devient gras comme 30 minutes apr¨s l'avoir lav©   l'eau, avez-vous v©cu la mªme chose avant et maintenant c'est parti?

The mupirocin-based treatment lasts a maximum of 15 days, which seems to be the period necessary to kill the bacteria lodged in the nose and ears for good. 

In my opinion, staph infection finds its refuge in the nose and ears. It will then spread to the face and create bacterial folliculitis and will therefore infect the hairy areas around the mouth and nose. 

The skin to defend itself against the bacteria will create this oil because it seems that the staphylococcus dries out the skin or acts on it in some way.

The BP wash is just a boost to get rid of the remaining bacteria on the face, and it is also a very good topical product if used with care (see BP contact therapy on google). 

It all depends on your symptoms, but if your whiteheads turn into a honey crust then it's called impetigo, caused by staph.

If you simply have whiteheads around your mouth that don't turn into a crust but into a red scar, then it's bacterial folliculitis, again caused by staph. 

I'm not a doctor, but after long hours of research and testing, I'm convinced of what I'm saying.

Another avenue to explore is fungal acne, which can be treated with topical products such as sulfur, zinc, or topical prescription treatments. 

I've long thought I had fungal acne, and a corrupted immune system, so I've really been working on my diet with the idea of repairing my intestines. 

It helps, but mupirocin is really the boost I've been waiting for. 

@PhilanthropeImberbe

Quote

If you simply have whiteheads around your mouth that don't turn into a crust but into a red scar, then it's bacterial folliculitis, again caused by staph.

It is exactly that, looks pretty much like this

Quote

The skin to defend itself against the bacteria will create this oil because it seems that the staphylococcus dries out the skin or acts on it in some way.

OK, this makes sense, my whole forehead(and also nose)is oilyand also quite dry/dehydrated. Just trying to confirm we have the same symptoms, was your forehead the same beforemupirocin?

@PhilanthropeImberbe

My Bactroban came today (2— 15g tubes). I put it on this morning, and without being overly optimistic, I think it's already helping Do you apply it 3 times a day which is what my doctor recommended? Are you applying it anywhere besides ears and nose? It's very mild and doesn't burn or cause other problems, just a bit oily.

Also, I have 10% azeliac acid cream now along with BP. Do you think applying 3 creams is too much and may dilute the effect? I will stop with the Rozex for now as 4 creams feels like overkill.

BTW Bactroban is effective for gram negative bacteria too, which maybe be a culprit along with Staph.

I've had a range of problems in my right ear: dryness, blackheads, occasionally tender aches like I got punched (which I put down to sleeping on it), and some tinnitus/ringing. I'm interested to see whether the Bactroban helps with any of this too.

Hey @Scrubdaddy welcome buddy you can do this!  Just wanted to chime in briefly here.

Rosacea is a skin condition caused by Demodex mites ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4807898/ )

Metronidazole cream (Rozex) is not as effective as Ivermectine according to research studies ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4956638/ ).

I don't think applying rozex and aza will cancel or dilute each other out. They are both useful against Rosacea (see previous link). I would try bactobran on its own though, or any other antibiotic cream for that matter, because you wanna make sure they're as effective as possible since you're only supposed to use them for 2 weeks at most.

FWIW the first night I applied ivermectin, all of my face tingled all night. Maybe it was all the mites agonising. Did you get the same sensation with Rozex? Sometimes I still get that crawling sensation in the morning when I wake up. Not all over my face though, only on a very specific spot, like i can localise the itch somewhere on the side of my nose for example but i can't see anything moving, maybe I should get a magnifier. And that kind of itching rarely happens during the day.

I used to get pimples in my ears and on my scalp. I suspect the mites living on my scalp can make their way to my ears and face via my pillow and bed sheets so I change them as ofter as i can. My scalp is pretty much always pimple free nowadays and i'm not sure why as I only put ivermectin cream on my face. Although I did clip my hair 1mm short 2.5 months ago (I used to have long hair) and I haven't shampoo'ed since.

@seb7

Hi Seb nice to meet you! Thanks for your reply and earlier posts, they were very helpful. I am yet to try the Demodex mites treatment, although I have some Ivermectincream coming soon. Rosex did not give me any tingling.Metronidazole the active ingredient is an antibiotic not anti-mites.It's very mild and nothing like BP with its burning sensation. IDK ifazeliac acid is anti-mite but it definitely caused some sensations at night; I felt almost a twitching in my upper lip which I've never had before. I can relate to what you said about the itching and crawling.

My face and scalp have started to clearup already which makes me think I did have some bacteria issues. My main aim is to find treatments which are low-maintenance and less harsh, because the acid+peroxide combo is kinda hardcore on my face. Are you only using Soolantra at the moment? I'm keen to try it, and if that worksalone for me I'll stick with it because it's mild right? I'd even take oral ivermectin because unlike probiotics,I don't believe there's any beneficial parasites in the body!

Currently this is my nightly routine:
in shower, wash face & hair with E45 shampoo (climbazole anti-fungal)
10% BP mixed with Cetaphil lotion on problem areas (scalp and chin)
azeliac acid to problem areas
jojoba oil as moisturiser
Bactroban in nose & ears

Morning is same without the shower. I clip my hair short too, same with my beard (don't shave).

I'm really glad to hear you found something that worked for you, and thanks for sharing on here.

If you have acne that isn't responding to bacterial acne or fungal acne treatment, this may help.
If your dermatologist did not test you for Demodex mites, you should ask them to do so. If you have demodex skin mites the following treatment can be very beneficial.

Microscopic demodex skin mites can cause big blackheads and acne like eruptions anywhere there is an oil gland on your body. That is everywhere but the soles of your feet and palms of your hands. That also includes the eye lids, ears and scalp. The mites live 2 to 3 weeks. The pustules appear on a 2 to 3 weeks cycle, those are mite die offs. A healthy immune system normally keeps the mite population in check. The demodex can get overpopulated if your immune system is suppressed due to illness or other causes.

The oral treatment kills the mites all over your body even in hard to reach glands. It clears both the skin and eyes. If you have ocular rosacea (aka blepharitis demodex) it is very important to get it treated before it damages your vision.

The combined Oral Ivermectin + Oral Metronidazole treatment worked for me. The report on this treatment was published in the International Journal of Infectious disease in May 2013. Treatment takes 2 weeks using Oral Ivermectin and Oral Metronidazole. Insurance copay was just $13.03 (Uninsured retail about $52 USD.

Article: "Evaluation of the efficacy of oral ivermectin in comparison with ivermectinmetronidazole combined therapy in the treatment of ocular and skin lesions of Demodex folliculorum"

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S120197121201315X

Using the more effective 2 drug combined treatment (from paper) based on body weight for the oral Ivermectin:
1. Two doses of oral Ivermectin one week apart. Each weekly dose is 200 micrograms Ivermectin per kilogram of body weight. My doctor rounded the dose up for me since the tablets are in 3 mg size. Worked out to 12 mg per dose for me. Take on an empty stomach with a large glass of water.
2. Oral Metronidazole, 250 mg. three times a day for two weeks. Do not drink alcohol while taking oral Metronidazole and for 72 hours after taking the last tablet. Take with food.

Oral Ivermectin is taken on days 1 and 8 in a single dose. For me this was 4 tablets totalling the 12 mg prescribed dosage. The Oral Metronidazole is taken every day, 3 times a day with food.

Oral Ivermectin and Oral Metronidazole have been around for many years and have excellent safety records. They are on the WHO list of essential medicines. That being said they are prescription drugs and should be taken under a doctors care. They should not be taken if you are allergic to them.

Some dermatologists prescribe the same 2 drugs but in different amounts and possible for 2, 4, or 6 weeks.

NOTE: Use clean towels and washcloths for the affected areas. Demodex can live on a damp towel up to 54 hours. Ordinary washing and drying with a temperature of at least 58 C degrees will kill demodex.

Hi i'm a 24 year old male that has been dealing what the dermatologist diagnosed me with as chronic folliculitis. I havebeen to this to the dermatologist 4 times and every time im there its a different consultant the first 3 times i have been there i havebeen trying antibiotics such as doxycycline and lymecycline but we have always spoke about accutane a low dose of it. The most recent time i havebeen there was 3 months ago and it was another consultant that told me accutane wasn't for me and handed me a bunch of different creams to use in the shower and 20 minute washes which did not work. I have always mentioned thatthere is white dots inside my nose walls and i get a pustule in my nostrils nearly every 3 days now but not one doctors has looked up my nose its as if they don't believe me. If i'm not on doxycycline and i get a pustule its normally swollen and lumpy underneath and i get way more of them so i havebeen on doxy for at least a year n a half. I have gave 3 swobs now from burst pustules and nothing ever comes back from it. I think its more internal than anything but what do i know right i'm not a doctor. Everything i havetried looks like it works for a while then it doesn't throughout my 3 year journey with this i havehad a week here and there which i don't get any but now its like i cant catch a break and its on my upper lip line and beginning of my nostrils more than anything. You kind of lose yourmind thinking about this stuff everyday but now i'm thinking maybe its coming from my nose because the area effected is directly under it. I get a runny nose a lot and sometimes a blocked nose feeling. I'm due to go back to the doctors and dermatologist after this pandemic is over. I feel like this all started after a night out when i was 21 i stayed at someone else house and i woke up that morning with these spots now i don't know if that's just a coincidence but i sure wish i could go back and stay in that night to see if this would ever of happened to me, i do recall my lip was bleeding that night and i also had a bit of glass go into my wrist which makes u wonder if bacteria got through one of these wounds. It does shatter your confidence its affected my relationship and my relationship with friends i havelocked myself away from the world i quit my job because of how i felt about it. I'm sick of it and need to get it together and solve this. I am going to get a skin swab test done hopefully next time i mention it i shall try accutane if they give it to me. I will keep you updated once i get seen to.

I think trying to control inflammation is the start. Im no longer using toothpaste with sodium lauryl sulfate to see if it helps reduce it and i take a turmeric capsule once a day.

@Softvoice

According to the symptoms and the actual lab results, a couple of us here strongly believe that this is the result of staph bacteria residing in the nostrils and ears,and the onlysolution is to decolonize it. @PhilanthropeImberbereported great success(find his comments)shortly after startedputtingBactroban cream into nose and ears. You'll need to visit your dermatologist and ask for prescription because it's an antibiotic.

If you can't get Bactroban, I also read that Neosporin or this substitute https://www.amazon.com/Triple-Antibiotic-Ointment-Compare-Neosporin/dp/B013PYKVLA work great as well.

@ElaineAThank you very much for this information, I am keen to try this solution.

@SoftvoiceI agreewith others thatif you've not tried Bactroban,it's relatively easy and targets the nose area.

I'm currently using:
topical ivermectin (Soolantra)
10% Sulphur soap (Derma Medico brand)
jojoba oil with drop of tea tree added for moisturiser

I have 10% Azeliac acid and metronidazole (Rosex) cream, however I feel spot-treating smaller areas isn't effective because I need broader coverage including scalp.

It's too early to say, but so farI definitely believe it's worth looking at the Demodex mites treatments, especially if you've been diagnosed with type 2 rosacea.

I was looking at mite solutions for the sensitive eye area. Istumbled across hypochlorous acid(HOCl), which is a mild natural substance used in eye washes and also baby care. I have a cheap baby sanitising spray called "Vital Baby Aquaint" (500ml) which I'm using. Others have mentioned using it for rosacea google "hypochlorous acid + rosacea" if you're curious.

Another cream I'm trying is crotamiton 10% (brand name Eurax). It comes in big 100g tubes so good for larger areas. Here's a Crotamiton & Demodex study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958185/