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Unless you have severe, widespread, and scarring acne, The Regimen is normally my suggestion for the most effective acne treatment.

My suggested acne treatment

Learn The Regimen  Learn The Regimen 

Tiny white plugs

 Related Article: Urea and Its Role in the Skin
 
MemberMember
156
(@25years)

Posted : 04/13/2026 6:58 pm

Strange fuzz????


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MemberMember
156
(@25years)

Posted : 04/13/2026 7:01 pm

Posted by: @25years

Strange fuzz????

Skinshit, this is the strange shit coming out now?? Usually white? I have had bigger ones pop out


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MemberMember
156
(@25years)

Posted : 04/13/2026 7:27 pm

Posted by: @25years

This is magic!

I swear it!!!!!! So far this is the best product I have bought in all the years, It is mixed with the water from the natural hot springs in Colorado


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MemberMember
19
(@teeneybeans)
MemberMember
19
(@teeneybeans)

Posted : 04/13/2026 8:57 pm

I guess I have Phorid Flys.


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MemberMember
19
(@teeneybeans)

Posted : 04/13/2026 9:03 pm

The ovary fallopian tube thing cameout of my nasal sidewall when i grabbed it with a tweezer. It looks exactly like that part of the maggot in the picture of the one being held by forceps. I covered my nose in aquaphor and i can already feel them moving more. I think they are struggling for air. I read if you cut off the air supply they will come out within 24-48 hours. Disgusting. Were gonna find out real soon. That is probably why that person said they were taping the woulds was working. Im sick over this. Love yall


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MemberMember
19
(@teeneybeans)

Posted : 04/13/2026 9:07 pm

Sorry to Spam this is really happening to me right now and ty for the care and support


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MemberMember
19
(@teeneybeans)

Posted : 04/14/2026 4:17 pm

Ive spent about 60 hrs researching and I have a true final diagnosis which I have compared notes and pictures with my Dermatologist and she 100% agrees with me that my Dx is Granuloma Faciale

Other types of this exist which are in different areas on the body and also one that they grow out of the sides of fingernails.

Im going to be treated with Dapsone.

 


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MemberMember
70
(@dar-wins)

Posted : 04/16/2026 8:56 pm

@mizweirdo I'm not against anything you say, and maybe not all of us on this site are the same. However, I did not have any symptoms of Diabetes either - that was why it was so hard to find. I have normal A1C, the main test used to find "Diabetes". Purchase your own CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor, connects to your phone), you don't need a prescription. If then everything looks fine, then clearly we are different. Do an experiment. I don't know about you, but I spent so much money on supplements, spend this 50 US bucks on the CGM to just see.


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MemberMember
70
(@dar-wins)

Posted : 04/16/2026 9:04 pm

@nurse123 Yea, you look like what I used to look like. Hang in there. I know how awful it is in and of itself, and then add awful doctors on top of that and it's horrendous. I hope the med continues to help. I used to get so excited about a new med and sing it's glory - both with antifungals and antivirals. Both did seem to do something. I just didn't actually completely heal until I got on meds for low insulin.


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MemberMember
70
(@dar-wins)

Posted : 04/16/2026 9:19 pm

@toddlevesque Yes, I tested positive for Mono - most of the population is positive for it. I also never knew I had it. A full herpes panel is not a bad idea if you haven't had already. I have low white blood cells at this point, not high - but clearly your body is going through inflammation and infection. I deeply pursued fungal and viral infections. I eventually gave up on the infection stance as the main cause, though I do believe infections do happen with us. When I started looking inward, I found my sex hormones were off, my thyroid was off, my cortisol was borderline, my insulin was low, my glucose was out of control going from high's to low's very quickly, I had Porphyrins off but not Porphyria, I had some high Cytokines (inflammation), I had low Natural Killer Cells (immune function). I have had many other non-diagnostic tests that are off, such as low sodium, low iodine, low zinc, etc. I could continue to list, but those tests were only informative of the supplements I should be taking (as they were not diagnostic) vs my cabinet full of other supplements that didn't actually help.

I will add that Keratinocytes do seem to be involved, and can be from an internal process gone awry. When I look at your pics, I see pics that I once took myself. Pics that once made me think - that is insane, it's got to be an infection. However the more I researched, the more I found out about internal skin mechanisms. Do you know how many diseases can cause crazy skin issues? SO many. Doesn't mean it's not also an infection right now for you, but just be aware that there may be more than one thing going on. People have been trying to prove the "infection" since 1980. To me, it just makes sense that is more complicated than "just an infection".


This post was modified 2 months ago 2 times by dar-wins
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MemberMember
26
(@mizweirdo)

Posted : 04/16/2026 9:23 pm

@dar-wins

Thanks, I may look into it now. Have you tried anything that's been effective?

And I just read through all of the posts since I've been here last, and I'm pretty sure I don't have any of the infestations mentioned above; what I'm dealing with looks nothing like any of the photos shared here, or on Google when I looked them up for more info.


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MemberMember
70
(@dar-wins)

Posted : 04/16/2026 9:44 pm

@mizweirdo Yes! Ozempic (low dose as I am thin) and Glipizide (also low dose as it can cause hypoglycemia). Zero new skin spots since starting.

I'm pretty sure you have been on this site for a while.

Just so you understand, I am thin, I do not have Diabetes Type 1 or Type 2. There are actually many different forms of Diabetes outside of those two. I have normal A1C. If you go to a doctor, they will test your A1c (a 3 month summary of your blood glucose), and your fasting glucose. All were normal in me because I spike very quickly up to very high numbers, and then I spike quickly down into Hypoglycemia, and stay hypoglycemic all night. The lows counteract the highs and make my A1C look normal - when in fact I am very dysregulated. There is definitely an inflammatory response, and I believe mast cell activation.


This post was modified 2 months ago by dar-wins
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MemberMember
117
(@toddlevesque)

Posted : 04/17/2026 12:34 am

its like i have glacoma now , white cloudy masses inside my eyes , canstnt ly pulling hairs out of my eyes and mouth focusing it challenging , someone better start giving a rats azz about me or im not gunna be here and the entire medicle field pissed at me because they cant sell me more meds. at this point it is blatenly odvous , tll pharma and doctors want is money for prolonging peoples agony as long as they can to keep sales up. 0 % goes in to helping make the pashants suffering at ease , or one of them bastards would have pulled crap out of my arm 18 years ago when i went to the ER for it , nopt were gunna leave it in and give you meds that created Canada then accept no responcibility and accountability for in effect killing me go Hartford health care


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MemberMember
2
(@nurse123)

Posted : 04/17/2026 6:36 pm

@dar-wins very interesting

I have type 1 diabetes and MCAS. I am on insulin and a low dose of Ozempic (prescribed off label to help with blood glucose control). My BG has been very well controlled for the last decade. I also take Vyvanse for adhd and it seems like this all started after I was prescribed this.

This year I was tested for adrenal insufficiency as I have been having symptoms for many years. Cortisol is low normal.
so your pancreas is just secreting less insulin than needed? Was there anything else you noticed that helped other than the ozempic and gliplizde?

the Itraconazole was working quite well and improved the sores but seemed to come to a halt after a month or so. I just got a prescription for valtrex so will see how that goes.


This post was modified 2 months ago by nurse123
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MemberMember
0
(@vickster69)

Posted : 04/21/2026 9:59 am

Hi all

I found this forum and thread about a year ago, and have been slowly reading through it ever since.

My experience is not as bad as some on here, for which I am very grateful - I really feel for all of you who have been suffering so much for so long.

After reading the first half of this thread, I suspected I was suffering from fungal acne. I was getting the painful spots that would feel like cystic acne initially, and would end up with the plug in the middle that had to be plucked out for the spot to properly heal. I started using Clotrimazole cream back in August last year and that definitely helped somewhat towards healing the recurring spots, after I had plucked out the middle white plug. But of course this wasn't actually stopping the problem...

It's interesting to see stress and sugar mentioned quite a few times throughout the thread, but I couldn't always blame stress for my outbreaks, so I did start to think that there must be something else going on.

Anyway by pure fluke, I realised that eggs are a major trigger for me. If you do a basic search about eggs and acne, the results will mostly say eggs don't cause acne - but if you go off looking for real life experiences in Reddit, you get a different story! I should note that I have always suffered with slightly problematic skin over the years, and I have always eaten eggs...but in the last few years I had upped my egg intake as part of a healthy eating plan. Well that rather backfired on me didn't it! My skin was particularly bad in the run up to Xmas 2025, and looking back, I realised I had been hard-boiling eggs to have available as a quick snack, and regularly eating 2 or more a day. I've had other eating examples since then that proved the theory, so I've now stopped eating eggs. I also didn't help myself by eating more chocolate/cake in the run up to Easter, which caused more skin issues/inflammation. I think we all know that too much sugar is bad/inflammatory so I have cut right back on any sweet treats now as well, and my skin is so much better since. It's taken a good few weeks to settle down, but I feel like I'm pretty much back to 'normal' spot activity now, with just the odd whitehead appearing.

A couple of other interesting things I found while doing my online research, are that coffee can trigger acne due to its acidity, and various vitamins/supplements can be problematic as well - in particular Biotin (which I was taking a while ago, and is also in eggs), and B vitamins. So I now read up on anything new I'm considering taking beforehand, just in case it might be yet another acne/inflammation trigger.

I appreciate this won't help some of you, as you have a lot more going on than a dietary/inflammation issue, but I thought it might be helpful to share for others.

 


This post was modified 1 month ago by Vickster69
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MemberMember
0
(@librastardust)

Posted : 04/23/2026 10:00 am

I've been dealing with the "white stretchy plugs" that turn "acne" into open, sunken sores on my face for almost 10 years now. I've been to dermatologists, estheticians, I've been put on prescription medication: clindamycin, epiduoForte, tretinoin. I've used every OTC recommended: benzyl peroxide, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, azaliac acid, BHAs, AHAs, hibiclens, antiseptic cleansers, hypochlorous acid, shoot, I've put straight alcohol on these things. Silver wound ointment, sulfur masks, retinol, peptides, herbal face food, vitamin c, niacinamide, coq10 serum, squalene, bakuchiol, iodosorb gel, CeraVe, Zo Skin Health, Dove antibacterial bar soap, La Roche Posay, Good Molecules soap, mud masks, sulfur masks. When I say I've tried everything, been recommended everything, and NOTHING has worked, I genuinely mean it.

They start off as massive nodules/cysts, and eventually break open into round atrophic sores. At best, products I use do nothing. At worst, which is the majority of the time, it aggravates the area and makes the hole deeper and spreads wider.

I'll see these white "jelly" plugs sticking out of all my pores. My skin will try to heal, but it forms what I call a "fake" wet scab that just washes off, reopening the wound. The only way I've found to start healing is to remove the plugs one by one with a tweezer. Unfortunately, they seem to multiply overnight, and if I think I've gotten the worst offender, I'll be proven wrong the next morning with it being extremely red, weeping, and full of more plugs.

I have permanent indented scars from these things, and you can't "leave them alone" as they legitimately do not heal, they get worse, and the longer you let it sit, the worse your scar will be. My worst scar is one I left alone for 10 days. When I say this ate my face, I mean it.

I have three right now I'm struggling with. Had a facial and was recommended products. Esthetician had no clue what was happening. Saw a dermatologist who prescribed tretinoin to smooth out my scarring.

Finally, after reading threads like this, the problem has unveiled itself to me, and after two days of me starting treatment, I'm 50% improved.

It's yeast. Not sure of the strain, but most likely Malassezia, as treatment on them is working. It's not bugs, bot flies, or even legitimately acne, and it's why literally nothing has worked. Actually, a lot of what I was prescribed was feeding the yeast and making it worse. I have oily skin and live in a humid environment 6 months of the year. Those are prime breeding grounds for yeast.

If you've struggled to this capacity, this is my regimen:

1. Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo: 1% Keroconazole anti-fungal

2. Selsun Blue or generic dandruff shampoo: 1% selenium sulfide anti-fungal

3. 1% clotrimazole anti-fungal (athlete's foot cream)

4. 1% terbinafine hydrochloride anti-fungal (jock itch cream)

5. Seabuckthorn cleanser/moisturizer oil by Best Skin Ever (antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial)

6. Raw honey or medical grade honey ointment (antiseptic, antimicrobial, promotes cell regeneration)

7. Neosporin pain, itch, scar ointment

8. Round bandaids

Protocol:

1. wet hands and lather a pea sized amount of Nizoral and Selsun Blue on fingers. Apply as a mask. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. I leave on for 10, just to be real sure. These antifungals basically destroy yeast mitochondria, and kill it.

2. Rinse thoroughly, avoid eyes, even opening them. Ask me how I know.

3. Pat dry and apply a couple drops of seabuckthorn oil on entire face. Give time to absorb, this takes a bit.

4. Apply a thin layer of athletes foot cream or lamisil. I've mixed both because I don't play around. Apply to wound and to skin around it. Let sit for 10 minutes.

5. Lightly dab wound and skin to dry it off.

6. Apply raw honey directly to wound as a thin layer.

7. Top raw honey with Neosporin.

8. Cover with a bandaid and leave for 24 hours.

9. Repeat daily.

After one treatment of dandruff shampoo, the white plugs were GONE. None grew overnight, no new ones spawned, gone! No picking, no squeezing, no plucking.

If no one knows what the hell is happening, and nothing's working? YEAST.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

PS: I also have tried the Nizoral as a body wash. I used to have hard plugs all over my upper back and shoulders. Gone after one use. This is definitely going to be my semi-weekly treatment of face wash, body wash, and shampoo.

PPS: During treatment change all bedding, sheets, pillowcases every other day. Post treatment, change these things once a week or even faster. Esthetician told me to change pillowcases every two days.

 

 

 


This post was modified 1 month ago 2 times by LibraStardust
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MemberMember
19
(@teeneybeans)

Posted : 04/25/2026 7:34 am

Hi Im back. I got so bad I ended up in the hospital over this for the first time. It was scary because you never know who is going to take you seriously. I GOT LUCKY. Had a doctor take me seriously. I got another culture. I showed the Dr my recent culture result that revealed STREPTOCOCCUS VIRIDANS and C. ACNES. Nothing else out of all skin flora that is even normal. That is all that was on my skin.

I showed the pictures of all my crazy skin problems and what was coming out. I told her this was my 4th time on Doxy and it always seems to help at first but then stops about 10 days in.

The doctor took another culture. (still waiting on the preliminary and final result (3-5 day range).

I was FINALLY FOR THR FIRST TIME EVER GIVEN IV ANTIBIOTICS. I got a ROCEPHIN and Saline IV and I was discharged with an Rx for Cephalexin 500 twice day for 10 days (which I had to beg for).

Also, I was given the gift of a CT of my entire face. I got the disc (which they said revealed nothing) but havent got to see it for myself yet.

I wanted to say that it took only 2 days for my skin to turn around. Ive been living with this for a LONG time. Many years. I lost my job because of it Nov 7th 2025. This is the first glimmer of hope.

I know we are all gonna be on edge waiting for the results so we can match what is in the new culture to a. See if if is exactly the same as the first from a few months ago and b. See if what is revealed was actually sensitive to the Rocephin.

Its always nice when someone gets testing and we get to see what it says so I will be back here as soon as I see it come through.

 

love all of you and I know one day one of us will make a break thru and we should not ever give up.

big hugs, Teeney

 


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dar-wins and Ishayat reacted
MemberMember
70
(@dar-wins)

Posted : 04/25/2026 6:43 pm

@nurse123 - super interesting!

Doctors are still going through my and my siblings genes - it could take a long time, but one possible theory is that my low insulin (which is better on Glipizide, and is potentially more of a first phase insulin response failure that just overall low insulin) causes quick spikes up and then quick spikes down. I don't know if it's the osmotic shifts or the high glucose itself (and high for my body is apparently 160 - at that level I can get hives now, which is super weird, as I would never have described my skin issues prior as hives - though they itch like I used to) - but regardless, my body seems to see that as a threat, and releases Inflammasomes and Mast Cells and it goes to my skin, though I tested negative for MCAS.

I am glad to hear your glucose is controlled. That can mean different things to different people. I did change my diet about 2 years prior to getting on Glipizide, I didn't know I had blood sugar issues then and didn't have a Continuous Glucose Monitor, but I would guess my blood sugar was better; however, that alone was not enough to clear my skin. Type 1 Diabetes can be misdiagnosed when it's actually a form of MODY or other rare genetic Diabetes. Have you had the T1 antibody blood tests? Do you have a family history of Diabetes? Most people with a genetic cause of Diabetes (MODY, etc) don't take insulin. They tend to take sulfunlyonureas like Glipizide as the issue is not the body's ability to make insulin, it's a signaling or upstream issue that impacts the amount of insulin that is released.

I did go through long treatments with antifungals (fluconazole) and Antivirals (Acyclovir, Valcyclovir). I thought the antivirals were slightly better, but they would seem to work initially and then stop.

I can tell you what tests have come up off for me (none of this is fully comprehensive):

Elevated:

Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) - positive for Diabetes

Free fatty acids

Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB - ketones)

Carnitine esterified/free ratio

Lipoprotein A

Triene/tetraene ratio

Pro-Insulin/Insulin Ratio

IL-1B and IL-10 (Cytokines = inflammation)

Porphyrins (This is one to look into for you based on your MCAS, I'll make a separate post on it: Uroporphyrin, Haptacarboxylase, Coproporphyrin III)

Lean PCOS, high SHBG, high Free Testosterone (used to have high Total Testosterone, Estrogen, FSH, LH, low Progesterone)

Selenium, Calcitonin

Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH)

EBV and Herpes 6

Thyroxine-Binding Globulin

 

Decreased:

C-peptide, Insulin, Pro-Insulin andGlucagon

Leptin

B12, Sodium, Zinc, Iodine, other random ones

Urine osmolality

NK cells (numbers + function)

Complement Proteins C4 and C3

Mannose Binding Lectin

Porphyrin: UPG Decarboxylase

Thyroid issues - you want at least 5 blood tests: TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3, and potentially Reverse T3

 

Some Normal Examples - I've had so many tests that there are many others:

Negative for any ANA test, any commonly known illnesses such as Lyme, Lupus, etc.

One targeted skin biopsy was positive for Herpes (one must request that specifically), but the second one was negative. All other general skin biopsies were useless.

Fasting Glucose

T1 Antibodies

Lactate and Pyruvate (but a ratio of 30 which is high)

AST/ALT

Acylcarnitines

Prolactin

Mito FAO panel

Urine Organic Acids

Amino acids (some used to be off but are now normal)

Mitochondrial function panels

A1C, Fructosamine, PFK

Hormones like cortisol (low normal), GH, ACTH

CoQ10, BUN, CK, protein

Carnitine total/free

 

Do you share any similarities?

 


This post was modified 1 month ago 6 times by dar-wins
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MemberMember
70
(@dar-wins)

Posted : 04/25/2026 7:09 pm

For anyone out there struggling with doctors - here are blood tests you should be able to get: Porphyrins. It causes skin issues.

You can have high Porphyrins and not Porphyrinuria. It is a rare condition, but Doctors should know that it exists, and they won't be all that familiar with it. I would imagine not everyone on this site has the same issue, so you could not have it, have Porphyria, or have secondary Porphyria. Porphyria causes skin issues due to a heme issue. One form of Porphyria includes skin manifestations can be triggered by the sun (which I don't have, though the worst of my scarring is in areas that see the light - BUT you could still have high Porphyrins like me).

Don't say all of that to a doctor - keep it brief. Tell your doc that if it comes back off, then you get the referral. One thing to note is that Doctors can say Porphyrins are high due to alcohol, so just be aware of that. That would be a bullsh*t response if you get all the following tests:

1. Porphyrins Toral Serum (ARUP Lab)

2. Porphyrins Urine (ARUP Lab)

3. UPG Decarboxylase (Mayo Lab)

 


This post was modified 1 month ago by dar-wins
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MemberMember
70
(@dar-wins)

Posted : 04/25/2026 7:28 pm

@mizweirdo have you had your Porphyrins tested? Do you notice any connection with your skin from being in the sun? There are so many rare skin diseases, so this is a shot in the dark. There is something called Porphyria Cutanea Tarda. I don't have it, but maybe worth a shot for you?


This post was modified 1 month ago by dar-wins
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MemberMember
117
(@toddlevesque)

Posted : 04/25/2026 8:44 pm

it starts out as a painful spit , gets puffy , one or 2 white pillared looking tubular shaped semi bendy i can only guess larva of something , but they go all dense compacted to one another so there is no way to grab them , and it is like the out side is pulling material in to it , its not sticks , its digestining everything it touches for the life form growing inside the plug. using it like an incubator the pillard grows in to a worm shaped tube burrowing its way in to the populous layer then forms. clusters in the spaces between the fat modals and the linph nodes feeding off the keritin flux from the limph system. the plugs then seat them selves over a hair folical that serves as a harber for the sporotricosis hairs to spread and flurish , the tubulars die off after about 20 days and form in to sheets of meterial that slowlly bring them selves to the top of the skin , itching as it does, scratching causes the pillard moduals to be broken free from the aure root seat , and the pillard with hair inside is ejected from the body to go colonize another host


This post was modified 1 month ago by Todd Levesque
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MemberMember
26
(@mizweirdo)

Posted : 04/25/2026 8:55 pm

@dar-wins

Hey, thanks for tagging me.

I had a big long reply all typed out, but then I accidentally closed my browser and lost it all. 🤦‍♀️ So I'm gonna just post the short(ish) version:

No, I don't believe I've been tested for that. The cutaneous version does sound somewhat like what I've been dealing with, but I'm not totally convinced; I do have sun sensitivity, but some of the other meds I'm on cause this so it's not definitive, plus I would assume that if that was it, I'd be seeing these sores on more than just my face, no? But I have no idea.

However, I do have another update: a friend of mine sent me a video of a woman discussing a skin condition that she finally received a proper diagnosis for, and damned if it doesn't sound exactly like what I've been experiencing. It's called Hidradenitis Suppurativa, and it normally only appears in areas where the skin rubs together like in the armpits, but rarely it can show up on the face. I wanted to attach the video here but it's too large, so I've uploaded it to YouTube to link to you all here (it's private/unlisted so you can only see it if you have the link):

And here are a couple of links about the condition itself:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534867/

https://metrobostoncp.com/blogs/hidradenitis-suppurativa-on-face

Anyway after I watched the video I started to wonder if this is actually what I've been dealing with, so I posted on my neighbourhood community FB page asking for recommendations for a dermatologist who will actually listen to their patients and not dismiss their input, etc. Several people made the same recommendation for this one guy, and when I looked him up his Google reviews were all glowing, and one of them even mentioned receiving a diagnosis from him for this exact condition after being misdiagnosed by a few other dermatologists, and they received proper treatment.

ANYWAY, long story short (too late!), I managed to get myself an appointment with this guy - it's this Tuesday. I decided I'm NOT going to mention any of this to him; I'm just gonna describe my skin problem, cross my fingers, and hope for the best. Wish me luck! 🥺🤞


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dar-wins reacted
MemberMember
117
(@toddlevesque)

Posted : 04/25/2026 9:32 pm

but monday is the rescedualing of my biopsy im at the point im giving up fighting it , if this fails. they are in my face , in my sinus's n lungs in my skull the tube from my sinus to my ears , i cant see out of my right eyes but shadows. and im stage 4 of what ever this is and i can they are all in my scalp, im stiff all over , the bottoms of my feet have these gray cloudy craying skin areas , when i shower , hundreds of pillards pop out of the heal and pad of my foot , then hair follicles and pillards in 1/4 inch tubs 1/8th inch under the skin on the bottoms of my feet. I'm screwed , scared and alone , i mean how many people go over to the guys house the doctors are afraid of?


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MemberMember
117
(@toddlevesque)

Posted : 04/25/2026 9:51 pm

Is your images of what I have to deal with


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