Please help, very serous

[scottabbott]

I am a 15 year old male and I had part of a birthmark cut out off my calf in January, in August it got infected and started to ooze yellow stuff, which dried up into yellow crusts. Then on from that I started breaking out in blisters/lumps which had yellow crusts coming out, this covered my whole body so bad I was put in hospital for a week, they didn't find a reason for it, but I got treated with Antibiotics through the drip and cortisone creams, and towards the end I was put on Cortisone tablets which pretty much cleared my skin completely, when I started to cut down on the Cortisone tables it started to break out again, so I went back to another dermatologist and was put back on cortisone tables, yet again it started to clear up to clear skin but when I came off them again it came back, I had a biopsy on my leg which got infected again with more yellow crust coming out which came back with eczema. I was put on different antibiotics like akamin, keflex and some others because I couldn’t stay on Cortisone tablets, but the skin problem never really went cause I was on and off cortisone, then when I went off again I didn't go back on, I broke out really bad again I was put back in hospital for another 5 days, where I had blood tests for immunology which came back with nothing, I was treated with Keflex, steroid creams and wet bandages, this started to clear it up, but not completely clear some little spots / lumps. I was put onto UV light treatment and have been on that for a few weeks, haven’t noticed much of a difference, I use Cortisone creams, my skin is staying the same but has not completely cleared, I still have little lumps on my arm which get a bit better and then get worse, but not clear up completely. I have been told that I apparently have eczema by the hospital but I have never had eczema in my life until a few months back, and from then the problem hasn't gone away unless I've been on cortisone tablets. So I believe that the problem is something more than eczema and one of my dermatologist thought about me going on Cyclosporine tablets. So I'm just wondering if anybody had any ideas of what else it could be or any tests that could be taken.    

[scottabbott]

Thanks for the help, I searched the pyoderma gangrenosum, it looks nothing like what I have gotten.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It is very unfortunate that you have to undergo through this pain at such a young age. One possibility that is coming to my mind is pyoderma gangrenosum. Pyoderma gangrenosum is a disease that causes tissue to become necrotic, causing deep ulcers that usually occur on the legs. When they occur, they can lead to chronic wounds. They are not life threatening and rarely cause death .It is not a cancer and its etiiopathogenesis is postulated to be due to immune system dysfunction. Recurrence even after treatment has been reported in some cases and its main treatment involves steroids(topical,injections,dressings), anti-inflammatory antibiotics and immunosuppressive drugs.

My sincere advice would be to get it evaluated from a dermatologist.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.