thanks healthyalmonds for the advice...like I mentioned before, I've only been able to find Polysporin
and generic versions of TAO (with no Neomycin) up here in Canada, but since you've had success with Walgreens TAO,
I'm gonna make a trip and go get some(or Neosporin if I can't find a Walgreens)...I've read your nose and ear routine, and I'm eager to give it a try!
After reading this thread, I've been very careful whenever I touch my nose or ears, making sure I don't touch my face afterwards...
and it's led me to think, how else Staph could be transported to various parts of the body? such as using a towel or comb.
I've been thinking about what you said on how Staph from the ears may cause jawline acne and Staph from the nose may cause acne around the
mouth due to drainage...but what do you mean 'drainage'? cuz I don't have anything (like a runny nose) that could transport the Staph.
Could it simply be from breathing out the nose, that the Staph is carried by small droplets of nasal fluid or air, and is being exhaled
onto the upper lip and chin? Or perhaps, when the face gets naturally oily throughout the day...the oils form a 'highway' for the Staph to travel
from the nose to the upper lip and chin?
Like I've mentioned, I break out every day around the mouth...and I'm trying to figure out why certain areas (like the sides of my nostrils) will breakout constantly for a few days, then stop...and then without rhyme or reason, another part (like right below my lower lip)
will breakout stubbornly for a few days....it's like a cruel joke this acne is playing! 
Thanks again for starting this thread and for taking the time to respond.
Drainage was a generic word I used to explain how the Staph fell out of the nose/ears. With the nose I believe gravity and, like you mentioned, exhaling out the nostrils that kicks some of the bacteria out where they potentially land on the skin and tumble into hair follicles. With the ears I believe it is gravity plus rubbing the ears on a pillowcase at night that spreads the bacteria to parts of the face. Otherwise, I believe it is spread by finger touching.
Interesting if the Staph can glide on a skin oil slick down to different parts of the face, I never thought about that. Though I do strongly suspect that S. aureus presence causes skin oiliness. One role of skin oil is to kill microbes, and more oil may equal more bacteria to kill. Speaking for myself, I dealt with very oily skin for most of my life, but I don't have that issue now that I've killed my Staph.
While you're killing the Staph in your nostrils and ears, you may want to put some 10% benzoyl peroxide cream https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/zapzyt-acne-treatment-gel/ID=prod4420-product on the parts of your face that break out. That creates a skin environment that may kill Staph that lands there before they can fall into your hair follicles and cause acne.
hey healthyalmonds...
Good idea, I'm gonna take your advice about the rubbing alcohol before the TAO for the ears (perhaps do the same for the nostrils too)...btw, I'll be using 99% isopropyl alcohol.
I haven't started the regimen yet (still gotta find time to cross the border to get the TAO at Walgreens)...but I have a feeling it's gonna
feel odd having a greasy thin layer of TAO in the ears all day...it'll probably look shiny, like a build up of ear wax (of course I don't mind if it works)
Yeah, I too have had very oily skin my whole life...of course the main objective is to get rid of the acne...
but it'd be an awesome bonus, if it also helped with reducing the oil on my face.
thanks again for taking the time to respond, hopefully I'll have some good news to report in a few weeks.
I know what you mean about a greasy layer of TAO. It's part of the reason why I stopped putting TAO in my ears. Since it's much easier to clean the ears than the nostrils with alcohol, I've been using exclusively alcohol for maybe about a year and I haven't tested positive for S. aureus in my ears since I started.
Wow! Just stumbled upon this. Seems to line up with things for me. I've had a cystic acne spot on my forehead that hasn't really faded for months, and the occasional bout of folliculitus on my chest that, while clearing up with prescribed antibiotics, always returns in a few weeks.
So I'm starting the application of TAO to my nose today. (I believe its there mainly because its been feeling scabby and I know ive been picking it a lot more lately.
@healthyalmonds Since you're awesome enough to still be active here after 3 years of solving this issue for yourself and others, may I ask if this is still a part of your routine? Or is your application of TAO less common now?
I still maintain my routine daily, though it's changed from what I originally posted here. I primarily cleaning my nostrils/ears with rubbing alcohol and put benzoyl peroxide on my face. I will occasionally use TAO if my nostrils feel dry, but it's infrequent. For the past 5 months or so I've been acne-free so I plan to maintain the routine even if I've fully killed the S. aureus that was causing my pimples.
Best of wishes on seeing improvement after applying TAO to your nostrils! Keep us updated with how things go 
So a few weeks ago (last week of Aug), I realized my acne pustules on chin and mouth were staph related and included Hibiclens to my regimen along withRubbing alcohol in nose and ears. I cleared up a 100 percent within a few days around my mouth and chin and attributed this success to Hibiclens.
However, over the past few days I have started breaking out again and realized that I had gotten lazy with the rubbing alcohol regimenin the last 10days or so to the point I completely stopped using it but still continued to apply hibiclens religiously. So maybe it was the alcohol that was keeping me clear? I can't tell because i started using hibiclens at the same time.
I just started with dilute bleach baths since i think i have this on my body as i get boils around my inner thighs and armpits which is where staph commonly grows. I started this last Wednesday and weirdly enough is the same time i started breaking out around my mouth in pustules again (hopefully no correlation!).
@healthyalmondsDid you ever try stopping this treatment and see if you stayed clear? I read in the above posts that you've been doing it for a year now..does this need to be done forever, every night? Also, does BP limit staph growth on face and is why you use it? Have you ever tried bleach baths?
Getting a little stressed out and confused because I thought I had solved this problem but its back(not in full force) but still sucks.
I still maintain my routine. It is not hard for Staph to recolonize the body, and I look at my regimen as a way of minimizing the probability of that happening. I don't believe it needs to be done every day, but general maintenance is best.
Yes, BP limits the growth of Staph on the face, and while it bleaches my clothes, it is a tried and true method for me to prevent acne.
I've never tried bleach baths, I prefer Hibiclens to kill body Staph. Have you used Hibiclens as a body wash or do you only use it on your face? In my experience, it is very potent at killing Staph from the skin, and using it all over the body may decolonize other sites that may harbor the bacteria.
Oral antibiotics can be effective at killing Staph in the nose. I prefer a topical antibiotic because it provides a more targeted destruction.
Hey everyone!
I've been reading all the posts and I need some help myself. I'm 25 years old and been battling with these pimples on my beard area (moustache) and chin area only where the hair grows for like 3 years I've tried many anti biotics but they only clear it up for a short period of time... I've tried shaving differently, bought many face washes, but NOTHING ever seems to work... I get these almost like pimple with hair in it so I'm not sure what is it exactly please guys I need help I'm not sure if it's staph in nose, but if it' is would bactroban help ? As it containesMupirocin... I'm from South Africa and highly doubt they sell TAO over here... Please guys anyadvice will be greatly appreciated... Also may I use any anti biotic cream or BP cream to Applyin my nose and ears, I'm currently using a cream called Chloramex Ophthalmic Ointment... Can this help ?
Mupirocin should be effective at killing ear and nasal Staph. Same with Neosporin and other antibiotic ointments. I've never heard of chloramex so I can't speak for its effectiveness.
Also, consider using chlorhexidine or rubbing alcohol to clean your ears, nostrils, and skin. I use chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) as my primary anti-Staph wash. Feel free to view the link in the sidebar for my exact regimen.
I have the same type of folliculitis around mouth only, mostly on the sides of the mouth (1-3 new ones everyday), it does itch while forming and pops up in about a day or two. I noticed that new pimples usually appear around the same place near the popped ones. Is there any way to stop from spreading?
I should also mention that i had used accutane 3 times and the acne did come back, and after 2nd course of accutane these pimples around mouth appeared (never had these before). The only thing that keeps me clear of "normal" acne is ketogenic diet. But these pimples around mouth do not disappear.
Also, i never have folliculitis in my nose and rarely over my lip - my question is could that be something different thenstaphylococcus aureus?As it seems that none of the products (rubbing alcohol, TAO, povidone iodine) put in the nose and ears does help? Dermatologist have no idea what it is as well.
@Mr.L.A.Confidential @Husky124
@ LA Confidential
I've never used tea tree oil and I am not familiar with it. Someone recently posted on my subreddit that they are using tea tree oil for their acne and it works. Here is the link to the post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Staphacne/comments/7i5iwx/i_have_had_chronic_sinusitis_247_365_days_a_year/dqy67id/
When I first put the ointment in my nostrils I did it for 20 days. But I learned that not all Staph are equally killed by antibiotic ointment. The sidebar has a link to the routine I follow to keep my body free of S. aureus.
I no longer use alcohol, iodine, or TAO in my nostrils to kill Staph. I've learned that nasal chlorhexidine killed the bacteria much more easily than the other methods. I use chlorhexidine to clean my ears as well.
Your symptoms do sound like the Staph is living in your nostrils, despite it not showing up on your upper lip. It was in my nose but I only occasionally got mustache-area pimples; chin and cheek pimples were much more frequent. I suspect it is because there is more space for Staph to fall into hair follicles on my chin; Like this image: 
Could i ask how long does it usually take to kill or significantly reduce amount of this bacteria? I'm using rubbing alcohol twice a day for my nostrils and ears for two weeks. Can't see any improvement yet. Though i got 1 little spot in my nose (maybe i didn't notice that before) and I can't think of any other option what it could be.
It does sound reasonable that staph may fall into hair follicles as i usually get spots where my beard is still forming (witch is on the sides of the mouth and below the lip). While on other areas where beard is almost fully grown the pimples rarely if ever appears.
On 15/08/2017 at 11:16 PM, healthyalmonds said:@silverlight22
I believe it is possible for a Staph infection to become worse after taking an oral antibiotic, particularly if the bacteria is resistant to that antibiotic. That resistance would allow the Staph to persist while its competition is killed off.I found that the white heads (acne) around my nose and chin were associated with nasal carriage of S. aureus. When I killed my nasal Staph the face acne went away. Also, when I was young, I was prone to chronic congestion which I believe was due to my nasal Staph.
I like BP as I've found that it prevented acne long before I learned about the cause of my acne. I still do put it on my face as a protective measure, but I sometimes skip days and I am not concerned that I will break out as a result. I believe mouthwash helps, but I've never made it a routine to see if it stopped chin acne.
@healthyalmonds I want to try the TAO in my nose. Only thing that scares me is the pustules would come back worse like they did whenever i took an oral antibiotic. They always clear me up for as long as i use them but come back worse after stopping. I recently had a surgery and they put antibiotic into me through IV. The pustules cleared for 3 weeks but came back worse again (almost 20 active zits at same time on mouth and chin). Issue is that everytime I get pustules after anbx use, it takes almost 6 weeks for them to go away.
Do you think TAO might do something similar where I see my pustules disappear for 1 or 2 months only for them to come back worse? Or does topical application work differently?
Also, I use 70% rubbing alcohol right now but do you think 91% is more effective? I read somewhere to go with 70% as it evaporates slower and hence gives more contact time to kill staph.
On 12/10/2017 at 4:01 PM, healthyalmonds said:I no longer use alcohol, iodine, or TAO in my nostrils to kill Staph. I've learned that nasal chlorhexidine killed the bacteria much more easily than the other methods. I use chlorhexidine to clean my ears as well.
Hi healthyalmonds,
Do you think it's safe to use chlorhexidine in your nose and ears? There are some warnings about using hibiclens on mucous membrane areas. I do want to try this but am a bit hesitant right now.
Cheers,
@silverlight22 @Canucklehead12
@silverlight22
It's possible that the pimples will return after you stop using TAO. The bacteria may not be fully eradicated when you stop and it may grow and cause symptoms again. Even if you do totally kill your nasal Staph, it can be reintroduced from other environments into your nose, for example by your hand.
I think the best method is to clean the nostrils daily to minimize the chance that the bacteria grows and causes problems. I believe both 70% and 91% alcohol would work. There may be a slight difference in effectiveness, but with daily cleanings there probably isn't a noticeable difference between the two.
@canucklehead12
I completely understand the hesitation considering the chlorhexidine label says not to use in the mucous membranes.
Speaking for myself, I have been putting chlorhexidine in my nostrils every day for the past few months, and I have had zero issues with it. No smelling issues, no burning sensation, no problems at all. It is however, keeping my nostrils free of S. aureus, as this mannitol salt agar test from a few days ago suggests:
@healthyalmonds That is interesting. I have been using cholrohexidine 4% since September. It worked great initially and got rid of most my pustules. However, over the past 6 weeks, it has been losing its effectiveness. I know it is a microbial wash and hence resistance would not be possible but I cannot seem to point the reason of loss of effectiveness towards anything.
Couple of questions for you -
1) Let's say you stop using benzoyl peroxide 10% but continue with hibiclens in your nostrils. Do you think your chin and mouth acne would return or would hibiclens continue to ensure you are totally free of S.aureus?
2) Also, since everyone keeps asking how far back deep should we go with the cotton swab, do you think the image I have attached and region I have highlighted is just about right when using hibiclens? That's how far back I can pinch my nose and believe beyond that you start entering the sinus region where I would definitely not want any hibiclens to enter.
1) I believe nasal Hibiclens will prevent nasal Staph from causing pimples on your chin even if you were to stop benzoyl peroxide treatment. However, keep in mind that S. aureus can reside in other areas such as ears, armpits, and other people. If the bacteria finds its way to your chin from other places it can still cause pimples.
2) Yes, that is a great representation of what to swab. I use this picture: 
On 12/16/2017 at 9:13 PM, healthyalmonds said:I completely understand the hesitation considering the chlorhexidine label says not to use in the mucous membranes.Speaking for myself, I have been putting chlorhexidine in my nostrils every day for the past few months, and I have had zero issues with it. No smelling issues, no burning sensation, no problems at all. It is however, keeping my nostrils free of S. aureus, as this mannitol salt agar test from a few days ago suggests:
@healthyalmondsok awesome, thanks for the insight. I believe I can get Dexidin 4 out here in Canada from the pharmacy without prescription. I've had great success with triple antibiotic, so I will try this out too!
Cheers,
@Canucklehead12Awesome that you found a product that contains chlorhexidine! I've never heard of Dexidin and I'm curious to hear about how well it works.