My experience

Hello everyone! So I’m 16 years old and I have been expirencing all these symptoms that everyone’s been talking about. The starting off as a pimple then it breaks and oozes a clear yellow liquid and then hardens into yellow crust and is really itchy. The first time I went to the dermatologist she told me it might have been a stafe infection so she put me on an antibiotic and it seemed to work, but it came back after a month. So I just recently started a topical called mupirocin and I will report my results in a few days, I also got a colony test and I will report the results of that too. Now I’m only a kid but after doing some research of my own I believe this is impetigo

hi, welcome!

Yes, it could be impetigo (staph or strep infection), but it could also be the unknown skin problem that the people here have.

Some questions:

  1. How does it compare to What does it look like? (photos) ?
  2. Since when do you have it?
  3. Does it only appear at the face?
  4. Would it be possible to upload a photo of the area?

Sorry to hear you’ve been stricken with this ugly disorder. My life was pretty normal until it started happening to me at age seventeen. You have to understand that because its so rare, most likely a doctor will not know what it is. They are trained to interpret it as impetigo, but if you research impetigo- that is something people get and it goes away after two weeks with the use of topical bacitracin. What we have is something more chronic. You can read through our stories and theories on this site, but in a nutshell some of us have shelled out tens of thousands of dollars and wasted years to find not only a diagnosis, but a treatment. Your best bet may be Soolantra, as it has worked for many of us. Personally, I use it every other day and avoid anything with vinegar. If I put just a little bit of soolantra at the bridge of my nose and through my eyebrows and around each side of my nose, it prevents me from having outbreaks anywhere on my face. Somehow applying it to these regions prevents me from even breaking out around the mouth or chin area… which is far away from where I apply the cream.

So, good luck. This disorder basically ruined my life for two decades, but things got better when I learned that there were others like me. So, you are not alone. But know that you’re most likely in for the long haul with this thing.

Hi there. Yes, you are definitely not alone. I agree completely with misfit108 and Tso. This disorder does present a bit like impetigo and staph infections and it could be related. I was actually diagnosed with rosacea and seb derm but the dermatologist said there was some “impetization” of my pustules. Like misfit108, Soolantra really worked for me. It is a little expensive but a tube lasts a long time (my first one lasted 6 months) and it really cleared it up. You are young and don’t need to suffer so it is worth a try. There appear to be no side affects for me and I’m completely clear of any lesions. I cannot be sure you have the same condition so compare with the photos and upload one if you can. Do not worry, we will do our best to support you and you will find relief from this.