The impetigo that will not die

[quasibroken]

For 18 years, I've had impetigo chronically. I can rarely make it 10 days without an outbreak. It is so bad in my eyelids that I can no longer read, look at a cell phone, watch tv, etc. If I look at a cell phone to type 5 text messages in one day, I will have outbreaks. I've taken dozens of antibiotics. The only things that have helped have been cutting out citrus fruit. But I starve myself out of fear that food may be causing this. I eat cereal with water, chick and rice and nothing else. Nothing helps. I am a grown man who has trudged through life with this disease while half the doctors I go to say I'm making it up- that someone cannot have impetigo this long. I am about to lose my family and career because I cannot mentally handle going into work looking like I've got yellow gummy bears hanging off my face and eyelids. I've tried Keflex, bactroban, doxycycline. Mayo Clinic prescribed me leprosy medicine (Shot in the dark). Has anyone else had this and how have you succeeded in combatting it?

[quasibroken]

I hope that your mom is doing better. Muplirocin Ointment 2% apparently doesn't do the trick for me. Also, I have these outbreaks in my eyelids and wouldn't be able to use it there.

[hussyfied]

You are not alone!! My mother has been suffering from undiagnosed impetigo for 20 years! Its gone through stages of being not so bad to very severe and back again, but has never come even close to going away. It was mostly on her arms, chest and face but she would have a few here and there other places. She has seen multiple dermatologists that just prescribed her Triamcinolone Cream and when that didn't work just blew her off. Randomly my father got a Staph infection and was prescribed a generic topical antibiotic cream (Muplirocin Ointment 2%) by their primary care physician and he told her she should try it also...and it worked. She has only been using it a week and her skin is more than 50% cleared up. None of her sores are open anymore and are well on their way of being healed. Unfortunately after suffering from 20 years her arms are very scarred. But for a woman in her 50's she is grateful that there's light at the end of the tunnel that she won't have to spend another 20 years covered in red, open sores and getting stared at constantly. I have never posted on a discussion forum before this but I just had to tell you that you're not alone. In fact, I was searching for a story similar to hers now that shes been given a diagnosis. Good luck to you my friend!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Impetigo is a highly contagious superficial bacterial skin infection. Primarily caused by Staphylococcus aureus and sometimes by Streptococcus pyogenes. Recurrent impetigo may be due to harboring the bacteris in the nostril.You can try measures to reduce colonisation of the nose and spread (for example, by using 2% mupirocin cream or ointment applied inside the nostril 3 times per day for 5 days each month).

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.