Impetigo - getting fed up!!

[Nomorewineever]

Backstory:

A year ago had a scabby nasty patch on my chin. Left alone and it eventually went (weeks) although tried during that time to do sensible things like not touching, separate towels, tried some cold sore remedies, lysiene, aciclovir (tablets and cream) but eventually it shifted anyway. I had it for 3 months.

This year it starts again and with some advice on here pin down that we think it’s impetigo. This is at the start of lockdown with no contamination from outside the house as we aren’t going anywhere. No one else in the house has it, same patch on chin, classic symptoms of impetigo (red weeping patch, golden scab, etc). Speak to nurser practitioner and send her a photo - she says it’s impetigo - and gives me penicillin. 5 day course. Day 5 it starts to heal and by day 7 it’s a shadow. All good.

10 days later(ish) it starts again. Same patch but now the side of my nose/crease is also scabby and red. So with no doubts that no one else in the house has it, I’ve been in no contact with anyone else due to lockdown, she says I’m colonising it. Probably in my nose. So another 7 days of penicillin, cream to put up my nose every day for 10 days, and clorahexadine wash for the rest of my hair and body.

I’m on day 10 of the cream now, antibiotics finished Thursday. New scabby patch on chin is now back to being a shadow but still visible, but today I’ve woken up to both nostrils being bright red, sore, my whole nose is swollen and throbbing and now starting to scab up too.

What’s going on? Why hasn’t the impetigo gone? Is it MRSA? Is that why the antibiotics aren’t working? It’s much sorer than an over wiped nose it’s bright red and scabby and even the lightest of touches with a cloth or tissue sends it throbbing for ages. I can see the scabby bits forming inside my nose.

I’m sick of having this on my face and nose and just want it gone. I’ll call the GP tomorrow but is there anything I can do? Has anyone had similar?!

[Nomorewineever]

No one?

[ElectricTonight]

Possibly have an auto immune disorder ? Sorry OP not much help have you tried germolene cream?

[Moonlook]

@Nomorewineever

How's it going now?

[Mykittensmittens]

It’s me (name change).

Yes it’s sorted. It was the coldsore virus!

I used private healthcare and eventually after much faffing I was sent home with a swab to take when the sore was weeping. It came back negative for bacteria infection. Impetigo was then ruled out. Next time it flared we swabbed again abs tested for virals and there it was!

The dermatologist was amazing. It seems to travel down the nerve, getting lower and lower with each outbreak. It seems to be triggered by light and stress and with reflection the start of lockdown I was out more and stressed more. So it adds up.

We have a plan for antiviral medication next year to prevent before it erupts.

Thank you for asking!

[Moonlook]

Hi. Glad it's cleared up for you, and that the dermatologist was good. I don't know why they don't swab more to be honest. Would save random, useless drug prescriptions.