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?

My mom had psoriasis/ecsema, and a low carb high fat diet totally cured it. Kind of expensive, just eating meat, butter/cheese and tons of vegetables, but it cleared her skin right up and she is on a permanent high nowadays.

I really feel for you op.
I have itchy sores in my scalp although not as bad as yours.
I'm constantly taking antihistamines to stop the itching and using a
Dema shampoo but will read the replies here to try other ones recommended.
Have you considered buying loads of pillow cases and loads of your own coloured towels so you can use fresh each day then do one wash a week of both at a really high temp incase you are re infecting.
I understand the frustrating wait for private dermo too. I guess everyone is in the same boat with nhs so turning to private.
Good luck

Hi- thank you so much everyone for the advice! It’s not a particularly serious problem but it’s definitely an annoying one, especially as it won’t seem to go away.

It’s been much sorer over the last few days, it feels stingy to touch it and it’s all raw and sticky- it’s leaking sticky fluid and the back of my head is a mess now. It’s definitely spread and got a bit bigger, it’s gone to an area of my head it wasn’t in before- this new area is only about the size of a £1 coin so not massive, but I’ll keep an eye on it in case it continues to spread.

I honestly don’t know what to do because I can’t get a private appointment for weeks (and even then I can’t really afford it either!) but our GP surgery is not able to offer appointments at the moment unless it’s an emergency due to omicron. The waiting list for dermatology is really long- I’m on the cancellation list but they’ve got such a huge backlog and I doubt I’ll get an appointment before summer- I was only referred at the start of 2021 and they have such a huge backlog so they’re still doing 2020 appointments. I can’t go to the pharmacist because there’s nothing they can do either. I hate sounding like I’m complaining because it’s not the fault of the doctors etc, they’ve tried really hard to sort it so I’ll just need to be patient and wait for dermatology (and hope I still have a scalp left by then).

Sorry other people have had this too but it’s a relief to know other people have had it and it’s gone away! I’ve tried hibiscrub as well as changing my diet and cutting out gluten and dairy but my skin is still bad unfortunately.

@herbetta

Hi. This might help... normal Staph.aureus is usually Pen resistant, whilst MRSA is also resistant to Methicillin / Flucloxacillin. There are certain strains of both that may produce a toxin eg: PVL etc. If you have recurrent infections it is worth your GP re-swabbing and also asking the lab for specialist toxin testing too. You can sometimes carry the organism in your nose which can then lead to frequent re-infections.

I would imagine it would be a good idea to have a review with your GP or practice nurse to discuss the situation in more detail (include the pics) to determine if it is an infection alone or other underlying condition eg. skin, allergy, immune etc with a co-infection. Hopefully they might also discuss things you use for you hair & head such as shampoos, hair slides or scrunchies etc that may be contributing to the issue.

Try not to touch your face / hair / nose etc as you can easily reinfect yourself. Also, does anyone else in the household suffer from anything similar?

Thank you! What you’ve said makes a lot of sense actually. No nobody else in my house has it thankfully!

Just bumping as I’ve tried everything so far but unfortunately it’s still getting worse again, hoping someone might have another idea of something I could try. I’ve added in some more up to date photos of it too. Thanks in advance x

Pictures attached

I'd try some dermol shampoo or creams. It's supposed to be really good.

OP, do you have anything similar (or redness/itchiness) around any other oily areas of your face (e.g. down the sides of your nose or in your ears)? Or just the scalp?

You could be describing my 15 year old son. Up until last week his face, forehead and eyelids were bright red, scabby and dry.

Decided to try some charmpoo anti fungal cream I found on amazon which had good reviews and it visibly improved overnight and after a week is about 90% cleared up. He did moan it was burning him the first couple of times but it has honestly worked wonders.

This may seem an odd question but are you keeping the area dry or moist?

Because I think I may know what the issue is but I don't want to lead you down the wrong path so an answer to the above without my influence may help

Hi OP, my daughter had patches that looked similar to yours but these were at the front of her head and on her forehead when she was a baby. We had months of being told it was eczema and trying all sorts of moisturising creams but they seemed to be almost 'feeding' the patches as they just got worse and worse and became like open sores on her head. We eventually managed to get a second opinion and were told it was seborhoeic dermatitis (I don't think I've spelt it correctly but it was mentioned upthread!) and she was prescribed a steroid cream called Trimuvate which was a yellow colour. We applied this as directed and after there or four days, the patches completely dried out and healed up. It was unbelievable the difference - she went from scratching until it bled to completely smooth skin. We then were given Eumovate cream as a preventative if it flared even a little bit but have only had to use that once or twice since. Really hope you get sorted as it looks so sore!

@urbansprawl

OP, do you have anything similar (or redness/itchiness) around any other oily areas of your face (e.g. down the sides of your nose or in your ears)? Or just the scalp?

My nose is totally fine thankfully, I’ve had it inside my ear and on patches on my face but the patches on my head are the most stubborn and wont seem to shift x

@Graphista

This may seem an odd question but are you keeping the area dry or moist?

Because I think I may know what the issue is but I don't want to lead you down the wrong path so an answer to the above without my influence may help

I’ve tried keeping it both.

I kept it dry when it was infected as I didn’t want to be making it worse.

But I’ve also tried to keep it moist so that it’s not dry and eczema-like.

I’m not sure which one is best though and any advice would be very gratefully received thanks x

I agree with @hereslookingatyoukid Sebarhoreic dermatitis (sp?). I had this on my eyelids. My lovely DGM told me to use fullers earth cream. It worked. The cream feels dry but greasy at the same time. It's incredibly hard to get hold of nowadays. I bought mine from power health, but they sell on amazon now. Power Health Fullers Earth Cream 60ml www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074YKYDS3/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_KH71174DSCDTENRYPBQW?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I had psoriasis on my scalp when I was younger for a long time. My sympathies it was awful.

The best thing for me was being referred to a dermatologist which I see from your OP you are currently waiting on.

They prescribed me something called Dovobet and it is the only thing that has ever worked. I haven't suffered this for years now. I tried everything before being given this by the dermatologist, it worked very quickly and has, touch wood, never come back since.

Obviously not a doctor though, and mine was quite dry unless picked at which then looked sore and weepy like yours. But you could mention it to them and see what they think if it may be with trying.