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I posted a new thread, but pasting it for you Skinshit:
I've had a 9 year struggle that included many other symptoms besides my skin. I hate the term and association with Morgellons, but that is what comes up when one researches white plugs/white rice like/black specs/etc. I am not at the final ending, but perhaps sharing some info will medically help you.
1. I didn't get a break medically until I was referred to Immunology. For me, my Natural Killer Cells were low - you want numbers and function tested - two different tests. T3 and T4 were low but vacillated. IgG2 (but IgG is fine - which is what they will test first - you want subunits tested) and Mannose Binding Lectin were low. IL-1 Beta (Cytokines) was high. Perhaps not everyone's body gets to my point, or perhaps it takes years to impact your immune system. IDK.
2. This is actually more important than #1, but I am going in order of how it worked out in my life. You need to get into Endocrinology - any way you can. At first I ordered a glucose monitor (check your own blood sugar levels - no pricking needed if you are already bleeding elsewhere. Check morning before food/drink, at night, etc). Then a general family doc tested my sex hormones. I played pretty dumb with her, just only there (virtual) because I was concerned about sex hormones and nothing else (lol)......All my sex hormones were off the charts. I have had a hard time with doctors, so I tried to get into Endocrinology first based off my low blood sugar, didn't work - but I got in based on my sex hormones. I've had other hormones tested in past - came up with nothing. Never let a doctor just test TSH (Thyroid) - it must always include Free T3 and T4. TSH can be normal while T3/T4 are low, and that indicates an issue with your Pituitary and/or Hypothalamus. Those were my issues, but yours may be different. Here's why: the Pituitary is the Master Gland - it controls generally everything in your body. There are many other hormones that ought to be tested such as ACTH and Cortisol, but for my they were fine.
3. I was diagnosed recently (after 9 years of suffering and skin issues that in my extensive research I only found Morgellons as a match) with "Central Hypothyroidism". Misleading, as it means Thyroid is fine, it's an issue with Pituitary/Hypothalamus/feedback loop. Levothyroxine has helped me not only feel better, but has also helped my skin. I was on lots of antibiotics for the first few years as I continually got worse, and for the last two years I have been on Acyclovir (viral med) and Fluconazole (fungal med). I got those through Immunology. They were guesses, as no biopsy has proven infection. I thought those meds maybe helped, more than antibiotics - it was hard to tell as my illness has morphed throughout time. Levothyroxine helped my skin better than any of the medications above.
4. Due to my Immune Deficiencies that were found, I gained entry into a research study that is doing a full genome/exome on me. I found the doctor and the study myself by reading research articles and looking at the names of the authors. I called them directly. I have been waiting 2 years for results, they come in the next couple months. I had an MRI on my brain recently, as "typically" Central Thyroidism is caused by a non-cancerous tumor. There was no evidence of any tumor/mass. That leaves the causes of my illness (yours?) to genetics and/or an infection. I've always felt as if it was an infection, but it has never been identified. Immune issues that are caused by gland/hormone issues aren't considered "true Immune Deficiencies" as once the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis issue (look that up) is treated, the immune deficiency reverses. I have also found terms such as Dysesthesia and Paresthesia that seem to be related to Endocrinology disorders. Look those up if you feel itchy or sensations of crawling. I have found Perforating Dermatosis, which also has sub categories. Look that up. IDK. Any of those are possible, and so is an infection.
5. I was once diagnosed by a Dermatologist as having "Delusional Parasitosis". There was no Psychiatrist involved, I never had a Psych eval, she was not trained to make any Psych diagnoses, and yet it caused me great harm not only because she put it on my medical record which perhaps caused a delay of diagnosis, but it was quite personally traumatic. I was validated years ago, but the emotion toll took me longer to get over. Also, Endocrine issues can cause mood/behavioral issues - for me I was just full of rage. Maybe that was a natural response. Anyway.....love your body that is keeping you alive during this hell, don't listen to stupid doctors, keep pushing forward when you feel strong enough, and know that you are not alone.
@lee1983 hi lee!!! Ahhh what a day to not complain (knock on wood - seriously). Last week I didnt even need coverup on my face - my skin was 10/10. I mean its crazy! Its just been so much better!! Even when Im STILL not doing great at taking it 3 times a day and slacking on my low histamine diet I was implementing. I have for sure been working on both just hard when traveling.. Its still so much better though! Need to give it more time though because I do think hormones make it worse.
I have still had some small breakouts here and there but they seem so much more normal and some 100% normal! Its insane the difference honestly.
I still stand by the histamine theory!! So happy for you and that you are doing better!! Im bad at remembering to check back at this but Ill do my best! Cant wait for more updates! Praying this is the end to it!
I have had a full Histamine profile done by an allergist, came up negative. If you believe a theory, please do indicate specific test results, so that others may find help. Technically, as the Pituitary/Hypothalamus gland controls nearly everything - it's totally possible that you do have a Histamine issue. It's not hard to get into an Allergist's office for Allergies/Histamine. It's one of the easiest offices to get into. Please do share what Histamine blood tests you had that came up off.
Just for clarification, Immunology is C3 and C4 that you want tested. Endocrinology is Free T3 and Free T4, which you also want tested. Just find a way in, to any department you can, outside of Dermatology.
I have been for other issues. I had been breaking out in hives awhile back. Honestly forgot about this Sept 2021. Idk if this tells you anything or helps honestly.. wanted to share just in case.
Hi all,
Just checking in to confirm that I still regularly check this forum. I have also decided to include some photos of my skin changes in hopes that it will help someone. As a reminder, I have struggled with the same spots for MONTHS (closer to a year) now, so they have undergone many changes with time. Unfortunately, I do not have many photos of what my initial "outbreaks" looked like (with the plug visible) as during that time I assumed these were still regular zits. My first photo is one where you can see the "white plug" if you look closely. Back then I removed this plug with tweezers - again, my condition is exactly the same as OP's where you literally plug out a white plug (these are not your regular "white heads") although it may not look like it since my spots are very inflamed (red). In the following photos you can see the progression post plug removal. It becomes sort of dry and scars. The last photo is what it looks like today. Now, while it looks much better than the first few photos, this spot simply refuses to heal. It's consistency reminds me of a wart.
As of now, I believe these are of viral etiology and in some way related to HPV/warts (or at least in some sort of less studied realm). I do not agree with @KiKi RN that these are "sebaceous hyperplasia". While there are similarities between the two I have failed to find any photos in which the skin changes in sebaceous hyperplasia begin looking like a zit and subsequently evolve into this visible white plug. However, it makes sense that if you remove certain stressors (adderall, for example) the skin changes will heal - this is also the case for warts - warts tend to errupt when there is stress whether emotional, physical, chemical, etc. and then they regress throughout months to ~2 years.
What have I been doing lately? What do I plan to do?
The last few days I have been applying cream with urea - I can't say I have seen any visible changes as of yet, and I wash my face with a gentle face wash that contains sage. Tonight I plan to apply baking soda mixed with castor oil overnight for the next few days/week. This concoction is supposed to work on warts. If that fails, I will try Cetirizine since I'm running out of ideas. @lee1983 Thank you for the update! Please keep us posted!
I check this page very regularly (at least once every 3 days). If you're reading, please create an account and/or post if you're still on here as we could all use the support! Let us know what you've tried, what has worked, what hasn't, your thoughts, etc. I will be back with updates soon to let you all know if my above mentioned plans have worked at all. All the best to us all.
Love,
Frustrated SkinShit
I think I can help. I had the same stuff for 5 years.
Killed my self-esteem and I never left the house unless I had for 5 years. I've tried foot fungus cream. That was the most effective medicine I've used compared to all the stuff dermatologist gave me. Their medications made it worst. Especially antibiotics cream.
I seen it go away here and there before but the last year it never went away. It gotten bigger and spreader more. I knew the sweating made it worse.
I work construction also a welder. There was no stopping the sweating. I've gottin into depression many times when there's to much on my face. I'm talking about 10 . From dime to quarter sizes.
I live by the ocean. I was a fisherman before I had this skin problem. I go to the beach acasionally to fish but seldom swim. After the skin issue the beach was over with.
I've moved to Hawaii 5 years ago still having the skin problem. My first year here I only had like 1 or 2 really small spots in my face. It started spreading really bad after the second year. I've had gotten a job on a fishing bout that goes out for months at a time before returning. On that trip my face completely heal up. I didn't know why . Just so happy that is all I could think about. I never went back working on the fishing boat after that.
6 month later it came back like never before. I still have pictures of everything. Looking like something in a horror movie for a year. I started reading this forum to see if anyone had some kind of same stuff and treatment. Doctor couldn't do any but cost money and mad it worst. I found the fungus cream work very good from reading these forum. I've got it to go away after using clortimazole for 2 months. Apply 24 hours aday. After stop using it came back again. Only this time the clortimazole wasn't much effective anymore.
2 weeks ago I decided to go paddle boarding. Get alittle stress out of me. Enjoy the beautiful clear water. I did not want to go swimming period because of the infection on my face. A large wave came and made the paddle board flip over. I thought to myself I love diving snorkeling. Since I'm wet mind as do it. I stayed in the water for 1 hour having fun. Before going home I dry of in the sun for another hour. I look at my face in the car on the way home I noticed the scare that were always soft full of oil underneath shrunken. Also harden up to a solid scab. I know that hard scab don't mean anything because like before under the hard scab there would be those white plugs and fill with oil that never heal.
After showering I noticed it shrunk alot. I decided to peal of alittle of the scab to see if any signs of oil or the white plugs. Most of the oil was gone and the were still some white plugs. I thought to myself I think the salt water is killing it.
I peel of all the scab and any place that had oil and plugs I try to get it all out. Before I had to do this every night. It would only take a 5 minutes before the oil would fill up under my skin again new white or clear color plugs would start forming again. By tomorrow my scab would be fill with plugs and full of oil. This time I wasn't going to use clotrimazole.
I got home cooking salt mix it with water just alittle thick not to watery. I apply it on all my scare. Man it burn alot more than the ocean water and longer.
The next day I notice it shrunk more. The oils never fill up under my skin . The white clear plugs went away. Unbelievable my self-esteem came back like sky rocketed. This my 5th day . It look like it trying to heal where the scab can just fall of leaving a light pink skin color. Before it wound just spread out and the scab wound just lay over a bunch of plugs fill with oil that never heal for six months than come back in the same place aweek later.
I hope this can help someone out there. I know the feelings and things we have missed in life because of this. It really break my heart knowing Doctor cant do anything for us but think we are inflicting it on our selve. Not only that they think we are on drugs and having a skin picking habit. If I didn't pick at it when the little white things are small. They would grow and leave a huge whole in my skin after taken out. Not only that the huge ones have brunches of little around that almost impossible to remove until they grow larger. My is Tyson Nguyen in Honolulu Hawaii. [Content removed]
I won't be back here anymore.
On 4/13/2019 at 1:01 AM, Aussie Scientist said:You might have to use anti-fungal cream for the rest of your life, if your malasezzia and/or candida are caused by taking antibiotics. Having said that, you will know when the problem is under control as your skin will look "normal". I would keep applying topical anti-fungals for some weeks after your skin looks normal.
Take the dosage pf nystatin that is on the Nilstat bottle of liquid for mouth thrush, or the number of tablets specified on the container for gut candida (thrush is candida). You swish the liquid around your mouth and swallow it. Nystatin is very saoe. Oral nystin will NOT control skin candida, as nystatin does not leave the gut (the nystatin molecule is too large to go through the gut wall).
Which country are you in ? I can send brand names of anti-fungals to you, when I know which country you are in.
Do you have dandruff or a white tongue, or both? the first thing is to work out whether you have candida (painful/itchy red skin, nodules, cysts, "pimples", ingrown hairs, infected hairs, etc., cracks at corner of mouth, white tongue, sometimes headaches, tiredness etc) or malassezia (itchy spots, nodules, sometimes cysts, ingrown infected hairs, flaking skin, "pimples", dandruff, sebborrheic dermatitis). Malasezzia does not get into one's gut; candida does. Nystatin cream is best for skin candida (although clotrimazole will have some effect). Terbenafine cream is best for malasezzia. Also, shampoo with climbazole (not to be confused with clotrimazole) if you have malassezzia - I can give you brand names depending on which country you are in.
Use 0.5% hydrocortisone cream and/or cream or spray with lignocaine/lidicaine with the anti-fungal cream on your skin, for a few days (not for too long) to stop the inflammation. Candida make prostiglandins which cause inflammation and help the candida to colonise and attack skin. It is necessary to use topical, anti-inflammatory cream/gel for a while to stop the inflammation, while you are killing the candida, to let one's skin recover. Hydrocortisone (like all cortocosteroids) decreases one's own immune response, so don't use it for too long (0.5% hydrocortisone is safe to use for a short while, including on one's face for a while). Lignocaine/lidocaine cream can be dangerous if overused (but OK to use for a short while on not too large areas of skin - read the instructions).
Wash you skin with an anti-bacterial wash - one with chorhexadine is the best, while you have candida and/or malasezzia on your skin, to prevent secondary bacterial infections such as golden staph!! Don't touch infected areas of skin without twice washing your hands first and especially NEVER touch your nose and then touch your skin. Most people carry staph in their nose. Use a different towel to dry affected areas. Wash the towel frequently.
Do NOT use moisturiser on areas of ski affected by candida or malassezia, as malasezzia feeds on organic oils in moisturisers, and both candida and malassezia flourish on moist skin. Dust your skin (not your face if you are going to be seen in public !) with cornflour (maize flour) after showering and after applying anti-fungal cream.
I am not convinced that candida travels to one's skin from one's gut. I think it simultaneously "erupts" in both places, following the destruction of good bacteria by antibiotics. Candida attacks organs in people whose immune systems are seriously compromised from HIV or chemotherapy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1797637/; https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/docserver/fulltext/jmm/62/1/10_jmm045054.pdf?expires=1555134469&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=C511DF1A40A71D4E6956FA61264902BB.
Candida does not generally attack the organs in people who are healthy and whose immune systems are not seriously compromised (so don't worry), as our immune systems fight the candida. But, after taking antibiotics, our immune systems are compromised to some extent (not as much as in people with HIV etc) by the loss of the good bacteria, and hence candida erupts on skin and sometimesi one's gut. The signs of having an eruption of gut candida are tiredness, headaches, feelings of disorientation. If you don't have those symptoms, then you probably just have a skin candida problem (if you have a skin symptoms of candida and a white tongue) or a skin malasezzia problem (if you have skin symptoms of malasezia and dandruff, flaking skin).
Re diet - avoid dairy products, (yeast or mushroom products - yes, I know that seems weird, and I did not believe it for a while, but I think it is true because candida sensitises one to all fungal species) and gluten (because gluten is inflammatory). Yeast is a fungus. In my experience, it is not possible to fix a skin candida (or malasezzia) problem with diet, but the wrong diet can make the problem worse. Some vitamins, herbs and foods do possibly help - pau d'arco, magnolia bark, turmeric, berberine (tastes dreadful!), quercetin, mangosteen, vitamin B3, undeconoic acid, coconut oil....
On 4/13/2019 at 1:01 AM, Aussie Scientist said:You might have to use anti-fungal cream for the rest of your life, if your malasezzia and/or candida are caused by taking antibiotics. Having said that, you will know when the problem is under control as your skin will look "normal". I would keep applying topical anti-fungals for some weeks after your skin looks normal.
Take the dosage pf nystatin that is on the Nilstat bottle of liquid for mouth thrush, or the number of tablets specified on the container for gut candida (thrush is candida). You swish the liquid around your mouth and swallow it. Nystatin is very saoe. Oral nystin will NOT control skin candida, as nystatin does not leave the gut (the nystatin molecule is too large to go through the gut wall).
Which country are you in ? I can send brand names of anti-fungals to you, when I know which country you are in.
Do you have dandruff or a white tongue, or both? the first thing is to work out whether you have candida (painful/itchy red skin, nodules, cysts, "pimples", ingrown hairs, infected hairs, etc., cracks at corner of mouth, white tongue, sometimes headaches, tiredness etc) or malassezia (itchy spots, nodules, sometimes cysts, ingrown infected hairs, flaking skin, "pimples", dandruff, sebborrheic dermatitis). Malasezzia does not get into one's gut; candida does. Nystatin cream is best for skin candida (although clotrimazole will have some effect). Terbenafine cream is best for malasezzia. Also, shampoo with climbazole (not to be confused with clotrimazole) if you have malassezzia - I can give you brand names depending on which country you are in.
Use 0.5% hydrocortisone cream and/or cream or spray with lignocaine/lidicaine with the anti-fungal cream on your skin, for a few days (not for too long) to stop the inflammation. Candida make prostiglandins which cause inflammation and help the candida to colonise and attack skin. It is necessary to use topical, anti-inflammatory cream/gel for a while to stop the inflammation, while you are killing the candida, to let one's skin recover. Hydrocortisone (like all cortocosteroids) decreases one's own immune response, so don't use it for too long (0.5% hydrocortisone is safe to use for a short while, including on one's face for a while). Lignocaine/lidocaine cream can be dangerous if overused (but OK to use for a short while on not too large areas of skin - read the instructions).
Wash you skin with an anti-bacterial wash - one with chorhexadine is the best, while you have candida and/or malasezzia on your skin, to prevent secondary bacterial infections such as golden staph!! Don't touch infected areas of skin without twice washing your hands first and especially NEVER touch your nose and then touch your skin. Most people carry staph in their nose. Use a different towel to dry affected areas. Wash the towel frequently.
Do NOT use moisturiser on areas of ski affected by candida or malassezia, as malasezzia feeds on organic oils in moisturisers, and both candida and malassezia flourish on moist skin. Dust your skin (not your face if you are going to be seen in public !) with cornflour (maize flour) after showering and after applying anti-fungal cream.
I am not convinced that candida travels to one's skin from one's gut. I think it simultaneously "erupts" in both places, following the destruction of good bacteria by antibiotics. Candida attacks organs in people whose immune systems are seriously compromised from HIV or chemotherapy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1797637/; https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/docserver/fulltext/jmm/62/1/10_jmm045054.pdf?expires=1555134469&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=C511DF1A40A71D4E6956FA61264902BB.
Candida does not generally attack the organs in people who are healthy and whose immune systems are not seriously compromised (so don't worry), as our immune systems fight the candida. But, after taking antibiotics, our immune systems are compromised to some extent (not as much as in people with HIV etc) by the loss of the good bacteria, and hence candida erupts on skin and sometimesi one's gut. The signs of having an eruption of gut candida are tiredness, headaches, feelings of disorientation. If you don't have those symptoms, then you probably just have a skin candida problem (if you have a skin symptoms of candida and a white tongue) or a skin malasezzia problem (if you have skin symptoms of malasezia and dandruff, flaking skin).
Re diet - avoid dairy products, (yeast or mushroom products - yes, I know that seems weird, and I did not believe it for a while, but I think it is true because candida sensitises one to all fungal species) and gluten (because gluten is inflammatory). Yeast is a fungus. In my experience, it is not possible to fix a skin candida (or malasezzia) problem with diet, but the wrong diet can make the problem worse. Some vitamins, herbs and foods do possibly help - pau d'arco, magnolia bark, turmeric, berberine (tastes dreadful!), quercetin, mangosteen, vitamin B3, undeconoic acid, coconut oil....
Hi AussieScientist!
Irealize you posted this years ago so this is a long shot regarding whether I hear back from how.
However, youobviously have a wealth of knowledge and understanding on this topic & well, I am painfully desperate to discover whats going on with my skin. I have the white plugs that hurt until they satisfyingly come out it is such a relief when they do I nearly cry because its out of me. I have experienced these blemishes (thats what I call them so I dont feel TOTALLY disgusted with myself because calling it a blemish is putting it VERY mildly.)These lesions do not heal. Even when they do I know that right underneath where it healed the oozy, painful, white stretchy plugs are waiting literally a crack away (if the skin gets dry). Once the area opens again its all over. Immediately I can see all of the little white pinheads and often times the absolute NECESSITY to GET THEM OUT causes me to feel like I am not even in control of myself. I need to heal. I want this GONE. I never had an issue with my skin never ever(!!!) until my 30s. This is when I started noticing cystic acne & even went to several dermatologists about the suffering that caused. While I dont experience painful under the skin cysts anymore I do get a painful white head- I can think I can get rid of the pain by popping it and then I will! It always seems like a clean pop. But NO. Festering underneath what is posing as your average every day ( Al being ANGRY) ripe whitehead is a plethora of white dots. Sometimes theyre large and even a bit pussy or seemingly infected themselves other times they are hard and painful to dig out but I genuinely become DESPERATE to rid myself of the pain & stinging twinges, the itchiness, & the overall extreme sensitivity in the area where ever they are happens to be located. My chin, for example has had an open sore on it for almost a YEAR now. Please help if you can. I am a mental health therapist in the US & I am embarrassed in front of the individuals I go into session with trying to help them. I feel likewow! They are definitely staring & wondering what the heck is wrong with their therapists face! How can I ensure I am giving the best therapeutic care to them possible when that thought consumes me. What if it makes them uncomfortable? This isnt something makeup can cover without making it even more noticeable still, I try. Bc well, like I said. Its mortifying.
I hope you see this response I would be happy to send photos of the areas or answer any additional questions for ANY chance at help with this debilitating issue.
I appreciate you
Embarrassed in Texas
Hi there!! I've been struggling with the same issues for about a year now. I do have an environmental science degree in geology, and I've done tons of research. Nothing really seems to help.. However, I did discover a makeup trick for all you ladies struggling to conceal the lesions. Find an eye shadow (that doesn't shimmer) that matches your skin tone. I apply my foundation (Revlon Colorstay 24hr) then use a small brush to apply the eye shadow over it. I have to touch it up every couple hours, but it has been a life saver for me.. I hope it helps you all as well. Stay strong!
In response to Frustrated Fannie:
"I've been reading this thread for years, and have found many people with the same issue, but none of the suggested solutions have worked.My doctor (medical doc, NOT a derm) now thinks it's likely lupus (DLE) because of the resemblance to the "carpet tack sign," plus other symptoms of course (extremely dry skin, inflamed joints, thyroid issues, etc).My lesions look like this, and the "hard white plugs" stick to the underside of the scab (or what he calls "scale")."
I have been tested for DLE and was negative - however I have been researching since I read your post (as I have everything you mentioned) and found that the Pituitary is responsible for Keratin production (which is what Follicular Hyperkeratosis is, found in DLE). I also found that the Thyroid is responsible for wound healing. I would suggest your doc for an endocrinology referral. Sounds as though you have already been there, but you need to go back - potentially to a different doc who will want to investigate. Immunology too, as there is an endocrine-immune axis. I posted a more lengthy discussion of my experience with immune/endocrine, but just make sure TSH is tested along with Free T3 and T4, as well as all your other hormones.
I found these articles, which are quite complex, but you could share with a doc. However since your immune system hasn't been tested yet, from what I understand, they may be a little pre-emptive. Look up Dermatological Manifestations of Endocrine Disorders and/or hyperkeratosis and endocrine. It doesn't mean an infection is not also involved just due to the immune axis, but IDK.
"The Immune System as a Regulator of Thyroid Hormone Activity"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2768616/
"The interplay of thyroid hormones and the immune system where we stand and why we need to know about it"
I have it also. For 2 yrs. now. Im an RN, my first guess was Demedex infestation. They diagnosed Scabies, but it wasnt. it presented with tiny, sticky, white dots in all of my facial pores, that were not comedones. I knew nothing about it then, but I do now. The white things are actually keratin being pushed out of the pores, by the congestion of sebum, keratin and too many mites in the pores. The condition is called, spinulate demodicosis. It surfaced quite a lot after the mask wearing during Covid, trapping oil, dirt, sweat, makeup, etc. in the pores. This is what I have, likely what you and others may have, but Im not a doctor. The treatment for me after hit and miss, ended up to be pretty straight up. Ivermectin orally once weekly with Ivermectin 1% cream applied once per day. As the pores are deeply congested with Demedex glop, it will get worse before it gets better. Sometimes a secondary bacterial infection appears and needs a separate antibiotic. My case is severe, because it was missed by 6 Derms and given another 9 months to proliferate I developed hyperkeratotic, tiny red punctates all over, that were actually pores that hemorrhaged. Those too, will go away. Its taken me about 5 months to shed the thickened skin with salicylic acids. The scarring should go away. Whatever tiny things you pull out of your pores, are not the mites. Theyre microscopic. Its actually keratin, the hard part of the epidermis that can become thicker with constant irritation. Also, I wash with Hibiclens to keep bacteria at bay. The sooner you start the treatment, the quicker you have a better outcome. I hope this helps someone whos suffering with this disgusting nightmare..
@andiegeller-2 How long to take Ivermectin orally? Also 5 months?
Hi all, unfortunately I am back here 🙁 I'm the one with the neck lesions & white plugs in the photos above. I finally gathered the courage to go see a dermatologist. I tried to keep my expectations low. The dermatologist I went to graduated from an ivy league medical school which doesn't mean shit 🙂 I explained to her about the "white plugs", and she looked at me like I'm crazy. Then I said "it seems like these could be keratin plugs", and she said "oh, that's most likely what they are", BUT THEN I proceeded to show her some photos of the plugs (I even showed her the photo of this "plug" from the first post of this thread). She looked at it in bewilderment and exclaimed "WHAT'S THAT?!". I said "that's what comes out of these lesions", and she expressed ZERO interest in even trying to figure out what these are and simply wanted to get me out of there ASAP. I knew I was screwed. She concluded that they are simply "cysts". Her solution was to inject it with cortisone and come back in 4 weeks. I knew this wouldn't work, but I have nothing to lose so I agreed. With cortisone you should generally see improvement within 24-48 hours. By day 3 nothing happened. By the 5th day I went to a different dermatologist. This dermatologist agreed with me: it's not a "cyst". He did think these lesions resemble warts, and long story short he agreed to try to freeze them off with nitrogen.
It's been about 2 weeks now. Here's the deal: the nitrogen sort of made the lesion dry up and "fall off", however I still kept feeling a tiny bump. Today I scratched it very lightly as it's more flat now (a pseudo-scab if you will). As soon as I scratched it what do you know? There's another "plug". I easily pulled it out! Now this "lesion" is almost completely flat, however it still feels like there is something deeper under the skin 🙁
I have 3 of these in total at the moment. The other 2 were way less noticeable, they looked like small zits when I saw the derm, but now they've errupted as well. I'm at a loss at this point. Just thought I'd update. How are the rest of you doing? 🙁
PS. I'm glad to hear antihistamines are working for some of you. Unfortunately, they didn't do anything for me. I'm thinking this may be an auto-immune issue, especially since quite a good amount of us on here have other autoimmune diseases (if you have 1, you're more likely to have another).
Hi everybody! This is my first time posting, and like many of you I am so happy to finally have found this thread. I thought that maybe I was the only one dealing with this for the longest time. I have had this issue for about 3 years now, and yes it is beyond a nightmare scenario. I will spare you my personal story because it much like all of yours. When I first pulled the 'plugs' out, I was shocked... My first thought was wow...these look like organisms...like living organic worms... I bought a cheap digital microscope online, and I'm almost certain that's what it is. You can see the insides of the creature, the structure, the head, the tail. After researching more, I am extremely convinced this is a parasite issue, as are many other ailments. I hate to say it, because it's terrifying, but I truly believe these are parasites, likely spread on purpose by who I call 'the bad guys', for many purposes. I believe now that 'zits' are likely dead parasites, and their waste/debris. When you eat bad food, it feeds them, which is why I theorize that people often experience breakouts after eating something specific. Doctors, and scientists, learn at universities. Those universities are unfortunately all ran, behind the scenes, by very evil people...unbeknownst to the public, and the students. They specifically don't teach what is happening and causing all of our problems because if we knew, and we knew the cures existed, then the medical and pharmaceutical industry wouldn't be able to continue profiting off our suffering. Sad, but very true. I am going to start an Ivermectin or Fenbendazole protocol this week. These are very cheap anti-parasitic medicines that they haven't wanted us to know about, and are mostly only prescribed to animals in the USA. I will document everything, and let you all know how it goes. For now though, I will share what has helped me find a bit a relief in the mean time. Epsom salt baths are a must for me. It helps cleanse, and pull toxins and oils, and if you are trying to extract with tweezers, the salt water helps to keep the profuse bleeding under control a bit. Aloe vera gel seems to help draw them out somewhat, but I'm going to try the peroxide method that some have shared here. Colloidal silver has been amazing for the healing process. If I have an inflamed lesion I'm still working on extracting the 'plugs' from (although I truly believe they are parasites now), I put a little bit of the liquid colloidal silver on, and let it dry. It stops the weeping and bleeding quite quickly. Then I do a light layer of Aquaphor, otherwise my skin will become too dry and even more inflamed. After that, I apply a bandaid, and sleep with it on. It always looks far better the next morning, enough where I can put another light layer of aquaphor on, and apply makeup to hide it as best I can...even though I know later that night when I wash my face or bathe, the scab will come off again, and I'll be pulling more of those things out...ugh...absolutely awful. Hang in there guys...we're going to figure this out once and for all, but I suggest people start looking/researching outside of the box, so to speak. Traditional medical diagnosis/information isn't going to help...hence why this thread is years in the making. A guy above posted that he saw the salt water was helping tremendously with his situation. This is exactly what I experience with my epsom salt baths, but I'm going to purchase some H2Ocean spray. It's used as a cleanser for piercings, but it's basically ocean salt water in a spray can, and I used to have some that I used for acne years ago, and it was awesome. I also just purchased some organic castor oil, DMSO cream, and Rosa De Mosqueta Rosehip Oil. All are supposed to help with scars, although I don't recommend using any on inflamed lesions, except maybe the DMSO...but need to research. A girl told me once that she had horrible pock marks on her face from years of acne issues...I couldn't even tell, so I had to ask how she got rid of her scars. She told me she used the Lava Soap Bar!!! I'm going to try this on a large scar on the side of my cheek, and I will report back, but it's a bar of soap with pumice in it, that I guess mechanics use to clean there hands. Sorry this is long...I love you guys, even though I don't know you, and I look forward to helping any way I can...even if I'm just a trial and error guinea pig sharing my results.
Saw lots of people talking in this thread about how sulfur really helped...hmmm...probably because it's an anti-parasitic...
@vanessadaisy post pictures please if you dont mind! Im Sorry you are dealing with this!!
Hello
This is my first time here. I'm going to attach a photo of this issue as well. So I've had a problem with the white plug shit for over a year now. This web site is the only reason I figured out what it is. I am Going to see a dermatologist in two days so I'll keep you updated with that. So I have tried everything possible over the counter for fungal infections even something I had for my dogs. Nothing was helping. So one day I get a big gross one of these on my neck, so I put a band aid on it for the day just to hide it- BAD IDEA!- I got a huge bandaid shaped infection. The fungus must have fed on the adhesive or from it making me sweat or opening my pores- I ended up with cellulitis at the ER. I told the doctor, and this is the first doctor I've seen for this, that I think this began as a fungal infection, she gives me antibiotics anyway. So I took them long enough to get rid of the cellulitis. I saw my family doctor a couple of days later because it was still not healing and tell him the story and that I think this is a fungal infection. He also sent me home with antibiotics!. So I've been suffering with this huge lesson on my neck for over a month.
Last night I put raw little slices of garlic on it for about an hour. In the morning, the top layer peeled off and it looks like the attached photo now. This is actually the best it has looked. The garlic is very smelly but I do believe that it will kill whatever I have, I'm going to keep trying it until my dermatologist appt this week. And I'll keep you posted. To all those that are suffering with this, I feel you, don't give up!
Hi, I know the struggle as I have it on my neck as well! 🙁 How was your visit to the dermatologist? How is the garlic method? Please keep us updated!
I've been dealing with tiny white plugs for more than 2 decades now. I'm 57 years old. I recently had a skin biopsy done by a new dermatologist; just waiting on the results. The previous dermatologist did nothing. After a very brief physical examination, he threw his hands up and said, "I'm out of my depth here!". He didn't even try to test anything.
Anyway, I've tried countless products over many years of suffering. The only product that has truly eased some of my distress are soaps containing "benzalkonium chloride." Most of these lesions appear on my face, but sometimes, they breakout on other areas of my body. The soaps/wiped can "sting/burn" the lesions...especially, at first use. However, these items are relatively inexpensive when compared to some other items I've tried, or topical treatments.
1. "Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash" - 13% benzalkonium chloride (pink grapefruit scent) on my body. This also contains salycyclic acid. I have very oily skin. I have used on my face. I find the tiny little "beads" in this product, a bit annoying, but I make sure to rinse my face well, after cleaning.
2. I also use "Dial Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Wash" - 13% benzalkonium chloride (spring water scent). I use this on my face. Again, this can be drying, so I rinse well.
3. I use 13% benzalkonium chloride wipes - I buy the "Lorus" brand packs of 100 on Amazon. These are individually-wrapped in the little squares...I often see them at doctor's offices, labs, other medical settings.
4. Lastly, I use "Soap Works Aloe & Vitamin E" bar soap (green colour). I buy it at a health store in London Ontario Canada. The store is called S&H Health. I think they may sell it on Amazon, but haven't looked recently. It's under $3.00 per bar. It moisturizes my skin, and seems to dry up and remove dead skin/scabs.
I only use one product at a time. Meaning, for example, I haven't washed my face with the Dial Anti-Bacterial Foaming Handwash, then, used a wipe on my face as a next step.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THESE PRODUCTS, I'm just telling others what I've tried, that's helped me. These soaps can be drying to your skin, hands, nails, etc. A doctor may not recommend, so you should speak with your doctor, before trying, if you're concerned.
Hopefully, I can update soon with the results of my skin biopsy. I've been suffering so long, I hope there's a definitive result, and treatment.
Take care All
@ibecoluc Please keep us updated as to what the results of your biopsy show! Whatever this is, it's a nightmare 🙁
Anyone who has this horrible skin condition with the sores that wont heal/white plugs knows that its NOT acne. Im lucky enough to have both this AND acne. My question is this: I read in a previous post that someone mentioned that the sores that wont heal went away while on Accutane. Has anyone else had this experience? Perhaps the mechanism in Accutane that helps acne can also help these sores? Does anyone have any personal experience with this? Maybe a long term, low-dose of Accutane could help? I would take anything at this point.
How charming is the above post. Here we are - helping each other to deal with a skin condition caused largely by prescribed antibiotics, and we are accused (with no evidence and no basis in fact) of being (illicit) drug takers. I do not understand what causes someone to make unfounded accusations against people who he/she does not know.
To the decent people on this web site - pls use anti-fungal cream according to my advice in my posts above and in most cases the problem will go away. Some recalcitrant cases may not. I am happy to provide advice for people whose skin problem is not fixed by anti-fungal cream. Note that I am not a medical doctor and I can only provide advice based on my personal experience and my very extensive reading of the relevant literature.
Although their choice of words was horrible I think she might be on to something. Ive suffered from this condition for almost 15 years. I just thought it was cystic acne but after reading her comment I didnt have this until I started getting treatment for my ADHD. Before treatment I never even got a pimple and had perfect skin. Im going to purchase the Skii potassium chloride on Amazon and see if this works. I also have Candida Support supplements I will start taking. Im so glad I found this page.
Hi all. Just popping on to say that despite not knowing what this is, finding this thread with others describing what I have was a giant weight off my back. So thank you. I have suffered from this for nearly 20 years!
Ill never forget the first time it happened. I felt my cheek in the dark because there was a painful pimple. I picked at it a bit and squeezed but it wasnt until I used my finger nails that I actually pulled something out. I felt the pinch and when I used my phone as a flashlight I was horrified to see a fairly large slippery, stretchy white plug. Its been happening for years. Same thing every time - painful skin eruption usually means its a plug or 3 under there. Once I pull them out it hurts less and they can heal. I have destroyed my face and lived most of my life with sores covered in makeup. As Ive gotten older Ive learned that for me its treating the acne. Id put that in quotes because its not clear that thats what this is - its some kind of skin eruption but I know plenty of people who have a zit and dont have these under it. BUT if I can treat the eruptions, I wont pick though of course I still get these and Ill always pick - just less now. Ill come back with pictures when I have a clear one.
Sorry we all have to deal with this. I wish there was at least a name for it.