Pink patches on skin

[twhite832]

Hi,

I have a few small pinky colored patches on my face and neck (skin looks normal apart from the color). The color can change in intensity to fairly light and almost unnoticeable to a dark pink/light red blotch. I can't remember when they developed first but I think it was as a result of an impetigo infection 3 years ago (which i took oral antibiotics for and cleared up). However not all the areas affected by the impetigo left marks. Since that initial impetigo infection I've had it a few times more (unusual I think?) but no scarring etc. occurred any of those times.

They don't seem to be scars as my facial hair is growing through them. I went to the doctor recently about it and he said it looked like some sort of infection around the hair follicles and prescribed me some antibiotics (Tetracycline twice a day for a month) and some fucidin cream. The pills didn't seem to affect it at all and so far neither has applying the cream.

Any ideas on what it might be and how I could fix it? I read somewhere that it might be due to me having less pigment in those areas and I should get some sun on it - I live somewhere where there is not a lot of sun and wouldnt have got much sun even in those 3 years.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi.

This may be a case of fungal infection such as tinea versicolor. It may be a skin infection or it may be a fine hypopigmented area caused by the previous inflammation secondary to the impetigo. If an infection is suspected here, then this has to be treated first before applying anything on the affected areas. Postinflammatory discolorations may occur in areas used to be affected by an infection or some degree of scarring . Microscopic evaluation of skin scrapings if scales are present may help ascertain the presence of a fungal infection.

[JonnyG2000]

I just got over a bad case of impetigo and now i have red marks on my skin where it was. IT sucks becasue its right between my lip and mouth and I thought they would go away since it has been 2 months, but your obviously saying that these pink/red marks do not go away.   Please let me know......