Infected skin not clearing up!

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Name changed (and couldn’t think of a new username!)

Does anyone have any experience with recurrent infected eczema/psoriasis? I’m not sure which one it actually is, I’ve heard both mentioned by medical staff so I suppose it doesn’t matter! Anyway, it keeps getting infected, and my head is covered in weepy, wet sores that crust over and bleed. It looks like impetigo sometimes. Then other times it looks like raw grazes. There’s several patches on my head, each about 2-3 inches big.

It’s really uncomfortable and hurts to touch my head, and even though it’s mainly covered by my hair, it’s embarrassing too.

I’ve tried antibiotics and steroid creams which work for a couple of days, then it all starts back up again. It was swabbed at the start and was positive, but hasn’t been swabbed recently so I’m not sure if it’s infected anymore or if it’s just a bad eczema flare up.

I’ve asked for help before but asking for help here today in case anyone has had anything similar or knows of anything that would help. My doctor has been really helpful and I am waiting on a dermatology referral as it has been going on for well over a year now. Has anyone else had this or knows of anything that could help?

**in

Thank you so much everyone who’s commented and helped. I’ve tried fusidin/fusidic acid which helped some patches, but the ones on my head went away for a few days but then came back and didn’t improve at all afterwards. I completed the course of antibiotics and other treatments but nothing seems to be helping it. I’ve got steroid treatments to use whilst waiting for dermatology but it honestly feels like my skin is coming off and it’s leaving behind the red, weeping, raw patches. I’ll get some hibiscrub though because I haven’t tried this yet! I don’t know if it’s the bacteria causing the sore skin, or if it’s sore because it’s eczema which has then got infected. I’m otherwise healthy and I’ve never had problems with infections before so I don’t know why this one isn’t going!

Just thought I would update in case anyone is still around! The sore patches have started getting bigger again and have joined and become become a giant open wound on the back of my head. It’s painful and sticky and really uncomfortable now. For other people who have had this, did you persevere with the steroid treatments or did you wait until the skin had healed up before continuing with steroids? It feels like anything applied to it is just burning it more, but then when I don’t use anything it’s not getting better.

Do any of the infected areas start as abscesses? It might be worth asking if the sores can be swabbed for a particular type of staph aureus called PVL staph aureus which can cause recurrent infections and be difficult to treat with usual antibiotics and creams.

I had something very similar. My ecezma kept weeping and looked like a graze. It was an allergy to a soya supplement. I had never considered diet but it all stopped very quickly when I identified the allergen.

Since antibiotics and steroids haven’t helped, then it might be fungal infection. I know you tried dandruff shampoo but those aren’t strong enough for a fungal skin infection and they all have SLS on them which will only irritate your wounds more.

You need to be prescribed oral antifungals. You also need to wash the area daily and then make sure your hair dries quickly. Avoid SLS in shampoos. Try a shampoo with tea tree oil or apple cider vinegar in it. Both are antibacterial and antifungal. They’re also soothing for the pain.

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/avalon-apple-cider-vinegar-shampoo-60037199

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/avalon-tea-tree-scalp-treatment-shampoo-60038352

the other thing is - what shampoo do you use?

There are only about 3 shampoos I can use, if I use any others I get scalp exzema and weepy sores.

So, once you have cleared up the infection, you might be irritating the skin with shampoo. Worth having a look.

Ironically the two shampoos that are best are
head and shoulders sensitve skin (only this one)
body shop ginger shampoo, which I am not sure if they still do.

can't use anything else.

no, sorry there is another one, can't remember th ename it is the brown medical one beginning with N!

My husband especially when stressed suffers something very similar. I can’t remember but the doctor prescribed a shampoo - it took a while but the ‘sores’ healed but still left with ‘dry’ patches? I can’t think of how else to describe them and they would flare up again and so the cycle began again!
He switched to body shop ginger shampoo - that made such a difference!!! Only when he is very stressed he does get a flare up but so far no more sores.
He had tried multiple shampoos / treatments but ginger shampoo seemed to work the best!

Hi I had similar on my scalp..nothing worked for me apart from betacap solution and sulphate free shampoo. However, I lost nearly all my hair..I went from having extremely thick long hair to bald patches and its still thinning now over a year later..even now when I wash my hair I get a dry ring round my head as whatever I use dries my scalp..I am still waiting to see a dermatologist face to face because my gp keeps passing me off with creams and shampoos etc and it's only now that I have lost my hair that they are letting me see a dermatologist..you have my sympathy as its horrible

The Anti Fungal shampoo is Nizoral

I just thought I would post an update, I’ve been using the prescribed shampoo/treatments and my head looked a lot better () but it was short lived and it came back after after a few days the shampoo doesn’t seem to be helping anymore but I’m going to keep using it. I’ve got another course of antibiotics to try so hopefully they’ll help. It’s definitely got worse from the photos I posted on page1, it looks a lot more weepy/redder and the affected area is a lot bigger. To be fair on my doctors surgery, they really are great and I’ve always been given a prescription or appointment when needed, so if it continues to get worse I’ll ask them about going private for dermatology as the wait is so long (understandable because of covid-I’m not complaining about it).

I just can’t wait to be able to go to the hairdressers- my roots are horrific but I can’t even get a brush through my head without my scalp being excruciating, never mind hair dye!

I’ve tried googling for recommendations/things to try to help it but I’m going to stop because I keep seeing stuff online about staph causing sepsis- I’ve had this for over a year, almost a year and a half now so thankfully I’m in really good health and not at risk, but the thought of a bacterial infection on my skin is really making me squeamish

Thanks for everyone’s advice and things to try, if anyone reading this knows of anything else it would be greatly appreciated too

Bumping in case anyone knows of anything else to try/has any other advice!

Sorry posting again.

I decided to try and pay for a private consultation to be seen sooner as it’s not getting better. The soonest I can find a private dermatology appointment within 100 miles of me is the end of February. I know this is only 8 weeks away and it’s not that far away, I’m just so gutted as I daftly presumed it would be within a week or 2 if I went private. It’s so much money just to be seen and I was really hoping I would just pay it and it would get fixed and everything would be better again.

I’m grateful it’s not a longer wait because I know dermatology is such a busy service, and I feel so grateful to the nurses/dermatologists who must be working crazy hours and I know some people have waited longer, but the thought of waiting another 2 months with this is brutal. I just want to be able to brush my hair without my scalp coming off! Or to be able to go to the hairdressers. Or the ponytail my hair without ending up with blood all over my hands from touching my scalp. I’ve finished my last course of antibiotics and I think it sort of helped but whatever it is, it doesn’t seem to want to leave my head! I’ve posted some more photos below

Photos below

Infections not healing can be a sign of diabetes. Have you been tested at all?

Did you try the hibiscrub? Or oral antifungal prescription? I think you need to have blood tests for those as can affect your liver.

Suspect this is seborrhoeic dermatitis. Try ketoconazole shampoo alternating with capasal. Buy them over the counter in a pharmacy.

@Tryingtryingandtrying

Did you try the hibiscrub? Or oral antifungal prescription? I think you need to have blood tests for those as can affect your liver.

Yeah I tried hibiscrub. It actually helped a lot to be fair (thanks everyone for recommending it) and seemed to make it slightly better! Last time I was at the doctors they said it looked fungal (I think because the patches are round but i might have got that wrong) so I got some more antifungal shampoo (starts with a k) and some antibiotics. It feels like everything I’m using is almost taking it away, then just when I think it’s got better, it starts up again! I’m lucky to have a good GP surgery although they’re probably sick of the sight of me since I’ve been back so many times with this! I’ve never had any sort of oral antifungals, I’ve just had various types of antibiotics, can the GP prescribe them or does it need to be hospital if it affects the liver? Thanks x

www.bad.org.uk/patient-information-leaflets/seborrhoeic-dermatitis/?showmore=1&returnlink=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bad.org.uk%2fpatient-information-leaflets#.YctSFRbLeEc

@MalbecandToast

Infections not healing can be a sign of diabetes. Have you been tested at all?

I don’t think so but I had to go to A&E after a bad sports accident a few months ago and I think I got my blood sugar checked when I was there- honestly though I was a bit out of it so I could be wrong but I’m sure I got it checked in the ambulance or hospital. I also had a full blood test anyway at the GP earlier in the year which I’m guessing would check for diabetes anyway, I don’t have any other bad symptoms and my other tests came back completely normal thankfully

@SecretDoor

Suspect this is seborrhoeic dermatitis. Try ketoconazole shampoo alternating with capasal. Buy them over the counter in a pharmacy.

Thank you! I tried capasal but it didn’t work unfortunately. I think the shampoo I mentioned that starts with a k is the ketoconazole, it definitely helps a bit but nothing seems to be helping the raw skin/open wounds and then they just crust over and bleed and it all starts all over again. I’ll take a look at the seborrhoeic dermatitis link, thank you very much for the help! x

www.nhs.uk/medicines/ketoconazole/

www.dermal.co.uk/products/capasal-therapeutic-shampoo/

Fungal.

You need to be swabbed for metacillin sensitive staphylococcus aureus-panton valentin leucocidine (MSSA-PVL) Oh, and MRSA. Then ask for a ten day course of flucloxicillin plus a course of aciclover and then if it's still not gone a course of clarithromycin. I get exactly the same all over my face. Finally healing over after my last outbreak in September.