Hey everyone,
I have been dealing with a new form of acne for me for about the past 5 months. I cleared all of my regular acne through diet changes and stayed clear for a good year. I then got food poisoned. Then I got a few inflamed pimples on my chin and in between my eyebrows after waxing at home. Ever since then this problem has gotten worse and worse. I have tried topical antifungals, topical antibacterials, even greater diet changes etc. all to no effect. I ate one sugar cookie the other day and woke up to 100 new pimples!
I went to the doctor today and he said I have folliculitus, no question. Because it is so deep in the skin he wants me on antibiotics (minocycline) Starting at a high dose and then lowering to a very low dose for a few months. I never took antibiotics for my acne and am fearful of taking them because of all of the information I have read about gut flora etc. I really need to take them though because my face is a war-zone! It hurts and is red, bleeding and crusty.
I guess my question is, is it alright to take antibiotics under these circumstances? Obviously I will be taking probiotics and eating fermented foods through this time so that I don't make my gut flora issues worse and will be keeping my sugar intake non existent. The reason I got this in the first place is probably related to my gut flora. I have taken antibiotics in the past for uti's. Any suggestions? I have also tried herbal antibiotics which did seem to help, but were not strong enough to clear the problem.
For the longest time I thought I was dealing with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth which was causing acne... and now I wish I had gone to the doctor sooner.
Yeah definitely do the probiotics and fermented foods, I might also add 1Tb ACV (Bragg's) morning and night in some water to prevent random overgrowths of other bad microbes that might not be affected by antibiotics. Also ACV is a good source of probiotics.
I've been considering going back on antibiotics as well, and I've been on them in the past. But I'm not quite there yet. Good luck!
I think in this case, antibiotics is warranted, especially if you don't want it to spread. I think our bodies hae the capacity to heal so the fact that you have been treating your body so well for so long, i think it will bounce back very quickly once you're off antibiotics
thanks for the support guys 
Forgot about apple cider vinegar, that's a great idea to balance things out.
Staph is something you don't want to mess around with that's for sure... mine isn't staph but part of me wonders how many people think they are treating acne when in fact they have a form of folliculitis? bacterial or fungal for that matter...
First day on the antibiotics and using benzoyl peroxide topically - already have had a 30 percent reduction in the size and redness of my marks.
Yes! Diagnosis on appearance of marks I think is not always enough. I feel like I've run into this problem myself. We all know the typical run of the mill acne, but for some reason dermatologists like to group most inflammatory/pustular skin conditions into the acne category without a second thought. Doesn't make much sense to me
Unfortunately, destroying gut flora is a walk in the park compared to what antibiotics can really do. Take the Quinolone family of antibiotics, such as Cipro (originally made for cancer patients or people with "very" bad infections but is now handed out like candy...)...it's being linked to fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, mental disorders, etc... I wouldn't touch a man-made antiobiotic, except for maybe a "very" old-school one, like penicillin.
My top suggestions would be to look into:
Oregano oil (topically, and diluted, of course).
Iodine (topically).
You will need to research to get the specific doses/recommendations.
You might also look into:
Clove oil
Olive Leaf Extract
And, I would suggest supplementing with acidophilus if you suspect your healthy gut flora is low. Also, are you eating a nutrient-rich diet? That is vital. Lots of greens and cruciferous veggies (if that sounds difficult, see my green smoothie thread).
Good luck:)
Edit: Alex, you mentioned having UTIs. You might look into doing a kidney cleanse if you find they keep returning.
For those talking about staph, oregano oil can kill staph infections that antibiotics can't touch...I know 2 people that had oregano work for them when antibiotics didn't. Cool stuff:)
I fully hear you on antibiotics not being a walk in the park... the thing is I tried everything natural first!
Things I tried internally: clove oil, peppermint oil, garlic, olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, oregon grape root tea, burdock root, goldenseal, turmeric, probiotics, l-glutamine, yogurt, an EXTREMELY low sugar diet with not even any fruit, no carbs, gluten free, dairy free and very nutrient dense... and I'm not talking one week, I tried natural methods for over 6 months. Natural methods cleared my actual acne previously in about a month. Once I found my intolerances to corn and wheat I stopped breaking out in pimples. I was perfectly clear. Then a year later this folliculitus started.
Topically I tried: clove oil, oregano oil, thyme oil, witch hazel, yogurt masks, caveman, oil cleansing method.. etc.
I have been on minocycline for over a week and my face is now 100% clear again. I only have one hyper pigmentation spot left on my face. I'm eating probiotic yogurt everyday while being on it and still eating very low sugar. I plan on doing apple cider vinegar daily as well to keep any yeast overgrowth in check.
I have also been doing a lot of mental work. Going outside without any makeup on even though it is scary. I did that when my skin was at it's worst ever and it was really liberating/terrifying. Looking at myself in the mirror and telling myself that I love and accept myself exactly as I am right now. Being grateful for my life and focusing on positive affirmations. Acne isn't just physical - I think there is a strong mental component to every illness.
Louise Hay's book - "You Can Heal Your Life" has really helped me figure some things out emotionally. I'm focusing on meditation too.
Will the folliculitus come back after I stop the antibiotics? I sure hope not. But if it does it isn't the end of the world. I know my problem is with gut flora now, and that it is bacterial and not fungal. I think all the time of using the oil cleansing method I was actually giving myself even worse folliculitus topically.