Is Spotting on my face caused by Staphylococcus or Acne? Posted: 03-18-06 11:14am
Hi,
im a male teenager of 16 years old and
about 3 weeks ago I had a red lump under
my nose which was very painful. I went to
see a doctor who said it was a boil and
told me after taking a skin swab that I
had the bacteria staphylococcus. A few
years ago I also seen a doctor about spots
on my legs and he said then it was
staphylococcus infection then.
Anyway about 3 weeks ago I seen the doctor
for this boil and I was prescribed
flucloxacillin capsules (same as what I
had prescribed for my leg spots few years
back) which were supposed to kill the
bacteria- which they did. I took four a
day for a week and whilst I was taking
them my boil went down completely and my
face was absolutly spotless!! Not even
usual day to day teenage spots or yellow
heads of any kind were on my face and I
was full of confidence. However once I
stopped taking them and finished the
course, gradually day by day the usual
teenage spots returned.
Although I do not suffer from lots of
spots I still get yellow heads and red
marks slightly more than my friends do.
When I was taking the flucloxacillin
capsules for my boil, my face was crystal
clear and I got used to seeing that. Now
after my boil has gone (2 weeks later) I
have usual teenage spots which are once
again annoying.
I want the face/skin I had when I was on
this course of antibiotics however I dont
want to be taking 4 tablets per day. Is
there any one that knows enough about
staphylococcus or a doctor that can tell
me whether there is something to stop my
facial spots?
The staphylococcus infection seems to have
returned because when I was on the
treatment for staph I didn't have a single
spot near my face! Is this staphlococcus
returning and can I do something or get
something like a repeat prescription for a
drug that stops day to day spots? I am not
unhygienic as I was everyday and I wash my
fash with warm water regulaly! I
understand from basic biology that if I
was put on a perminent antibotics course
that the staph germ would eventually
become immune to the anitbiotic?
Boils (furunculus) are pus-filled
abscesses on the skin caused by bacterial
infections of the hair follicle. Boils
under the nose are potentially dangerous
so they must be treated with antibiotics
and even surgically removed, if necessary.
Flucloxacillin is a specific
anti-Staphylococcus antibiotic. The
“spots” that you have now, however,
might be acne... not boils. Boils and acne
are not the same. Sometimes they appear to
look similar, especially if the acne is
secondarily infected. Acne is typical for
your age and usually goes away
spontaneously after puberty. Nonetheless,
you can go to a dermatologist to confirm
the type of condition you are experiencing
on your skin.
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