I am a 19 year old female and I suffer from nodular acne too on the face and on the back. My derm told me that a bacterial test isn't necessary as acne isn't an infectious disease. He put me on Ro-Accutane and Isotrexin instead. One of my nodules got infected however and he drained it and put me on antibiotics for ten days to avoid further infection.
I was wondering if a bacterial test might be a solution, in spite of my derm dismissing it and whether draining it was a good choice.(it had gotten quite big, the size of a quarter of a ping pong ball). Maybe you could help me with some advice :)
I would guess that you have adult acne, which is not as unusual at 37 as you might think. It takes more than washing better and changing your pillowcase to treat this. The only test that might be relevant is a bacterial culture. From your end, leaving the bumps alone an d not squeezing is hard, but crucial. Treatment may include oral antibiotics, creams, and injections of cortisone.
It's important to have a doctor whose judgment you trust, so I would set in motion any actions that will get you to that place as soon as possible.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff