Would you say this was a coldsore? Or impetigo?

[Nomorewineever]

I am consulting a HCP but appreciate this is very trivial in the current scheme of things. My GP is (rightly) triaging and the receptionist has said a nurse will call me tomorrow morning and likely give a prescription over the phone. But I just wondered if the opinion of what this probably is sounds the same as mine and therefore I’m asking for the right thing!!

It starts with a tingle, but is not on my lip it’s about .5 of an inch under my lip on my chin. It’s red and no lump, no whitehead and nothing in it so so speak. Then it blisters and leaks clear fluid. It doesn’t really go scabby but it does dry look and as if it’s going, then just as I think it’s gone I get another tingle day and the fluid is then back and the redness is back.

I get it at the same time of year - spring - usually when the sun first starts appearing and I’ve been out. And also if I’ve had stress. I didn’t have it last spring but I didn’t have the stress. The year before we were moving house and this year of course is kind of unusual. I’m very worried about an elderly relative and very stressed with work.

I’ve been treating it with Zovirax Cream but it’s doing nothing. I thought I’d beaten it but today woken up with it blistering again. This is now day 15 of this cycle.

I think I’d like to try a course of aciclovir tablets but I’m concerned I’m asking for the right thing as effectively self diagnosing!

Anyone think it’s NOT a cold sore? Could it be something else like impetigo?

I would have said impetigo. I got it in a similar place and it looked like that initially. Then it looked like my skin was sliding off my face ...

@Nomorewineever my 5 year old who's had a liver transplant has aciclovir very often. They don't like to give it out because it's expensive.
It clears his cold sores in about 2 days though. Amazing stuff.

Take lysine supplements - excellent for cold sores

Well, you lovely vipers were correct. It’s impetigo!! Despite starting the aciclovir, it was getting worse. This morning I woke up with more tiny blisters around the edge which were leaking clear. Instead of wiping the clear off with a tissue i let it settle and sure enough the scabby bit was golden. I called the nurse and emailed a photo over and straight away she called back telling me to stop the aciclovir, stop putting any cream or anything at all on it, and she’s given me a 5 day course of fluoxicillin. She said it’s not standard to prescribe fusidic acid cream any more as they think it doesn’t help it heal as it keeps it wet and they don’t think it’s the most hygienic way.

She also said it may be I’ve got it if I’m a nasal staph carrier because I’ve been sneezing like mad with hayfever - which would be the correlation with having it at the same time of year before - start of sneezing season. I didn’t think to ask but I wonder if the antibiotics would also clear that out if I am carrying it.

Anyway, fingers crossed it works. First course of antibiotics in a decade!!