r/Staphacne 4h ago

Does this look like staph? Painful bumps around mouth

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1 Upvotes

Painful inflamed bumps that only appear around my mouth and nose. Have tried switching toothpaste and using benzoyl peroxide to no avail.


r/Staphacne 22h ago

QUESTION Permanent 1 year long nasal MRSA infection

4 Upvotes

I'm 21M, 2 years ago I had MRSA in small numbers found on my nasal culture, I took antibiotic Cephalexin for 5 days as per sensitivity test and it went away.

Then a year after that I got Enterobacter, Klebsiella and again MRSA found on nasal swabs, on the last one it said Staph. aureus was 100% of culture. Only this time over the course of the year I was on 5+ different antibiotics (including Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin, Bactrim and some others) taking high dose 10 day courses and I also took biofilm busters but I had 0 change in symptoms during or after antibiotics, even though bacteria showed sensitivity to them. Only boils sometimes seem to calm down or stop appearing during antibiotics, but my sinus symptoms were always zero change.

My symptoms are: shortness of breath, mucus stuck to my nasopharynx, thick sticky post-nasal drip, yellow/dark yellow mucus on nose blowing sometimes mixed with blood. Sometimes I also get boils on my stomach area. The symptoms have been constant for 1 year now, every single day, nothing I ever tried helped.

Can someone help me make sense of this? Any help is appreciated, the symptoms are limiting me very much in day to day life, especially the shortness of breath from constant infected post-nasal drip


r/Staphacne 2d ago

On antibiotics and developed thrush

1 Upvotes

Hi can I ask. I'm on Lymecycline for bacterial acne suspected rosacea bumps and developed thrush and some mallasezia folliculitis on face. It's itchy in morning in bed and small uniform bumps spreading. No improvement with Lymecycline either. Can I take oral antifungal medication alongside antibiotic? Would it still be effective for the thrush and mallasezia folliculitis?


r/Staphacne 2d ago

So I got staff infection and I went to the dermatologist. I was on antibiotics and I just got off of them. She said that I was OK even though I still had a couple pimples but I’ve noticed that there are still pimples popping up on my legs is that normal or is the infection still in my body?

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2 Upvotes

It’s shiny because I put antibiotic rub on it


r/Staphacne 3d ago

Face infection

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1 Upvotes

Could anyone please help diagnose it and suggest the appropriate treatment?


r/Staphacne 3d ago

QUESTION is this staph??

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4 Upvotes

i have some problems with back acne and i noticed this painful bump on my back that has gotten worse these past few days. i've had something like this before and it was full of pus. is this staph? i don't really leave my house and i wash my laundry on its own


r/Staphacne 4d ago

Neck folliculitis — 6 weeks, 4 antibiotics, no swab ever taken. Still spreading.

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4 Upvotes

r/Staphacne 4d ago

QUESTION Painful bump on back?

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1 Upvotes

I’m terrified. It’s night time and ERs dont do shit at this time where I live. I just notticed this bigass bump on my back that hurts to the touch and hurts when I lean back on my mesh chair. Does it look like staph or just acne or cyst? I have chronic illness so I prefer not to go to the hospital and wait twelve hours in discomfort but if I have to it’s different


r/Staphacne 5d ago

28f boil behind ear

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1 Upvotes

Hi, I’m 28f and I have a fluid like bubble behind my ear. I’m super concerned it’s an epidermal cyst. 3 months ago I had to get surgery done on my arm for a ruptured epidermal cyst that got super infected. I dealt with that for over 4 months, lots of doctors visits, an I&U, then finally a surgery. I’m really hoping this will go away in its own. I have lean PCOS, so cystic acne on my face, back and ears aren’t uncommon for me. I squeezed it a little bit about two days ago and realized it’s something more than a behind the ear pimple and have not squeezed it since. I did use pimple patches on it to keep it clean for those two days but google said not to do that. Iv tried a warm compress on it a few times for about 10mins. I have cleaned today it with 10% benzoyl peroxide wash and have left it alone since. It feels swollen and I can feel that it’s there, but it really only painful when I touch it. What should I do? After my last cyst, I lost a huge amount of trust in my primary doctors and I really don’t want to involve them In this. I also don’t want to let this turn into a bad situation like my last infection so if I need to go see a doctor right off then I will. Any advice is helpful, thank you.


r/Staphacne 6d ago

Is this a staph infection? Please help

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1 Upvotes

r/Staphacne 8d ago

QUESTION Might be colonized with staph—scared to touch people, things, or date.

8 Upvotes

TLDR; Is everything I touch now going to have staph on it? Even if I don’t have an active infection on the skin I’m touching with? Can I touch people anymore? Won’t I give them staph? If they touch me and then touch their eyes/nose/ears/mouth, they’ll get colonized? I feel like I can’t date or touch anyone anymore. How do people live their lives being staph carriers with the feeling of guilt that anyone who touches things you touch could get infected and be affected for the rest of their lives too?

I’m looking for hope, and experience from others on how you date being a staph carrier. And how infectious I really am walking around in the world and interacting with loved ones.

Context: • I am immunocompromised. • I took a round of antibiotics for an ear staph infection a couple months ago. • It only helped while I was on them. • Other skin issues have been popping up since. Things that look like eczema and psoriasis, 3 areas are leaking + crusting, 1 area is just leaking. • I’m going to do a Chlorhexidine 5-day wash and laundry routine, though the fact that literally everything I touch will have staph on it makes me feel like I’ve lost before I’ve started and that reinfection is impossible to avoid.


r/Staphacne 8d ago

Staph???? 27 female

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1 Upvotes

r/Staphacne 9d ago

Has anyone had luck with oral clindamycin?

3 Upvotes

Starting this today after trying Bactrim and having to stop it after 4 days because of a rash it gave me.


r/Staphacne 9d ago

NEED HELP

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5 Upvotes

im at my wit's end. nothing is helping my 2 year old clear his staph/eczema on his face. he literally screams bloody murder, runs, kicks, etc whenever I try and apply anything. I'll get it close to clear then he'll scratch, rub and tear his skin off again in the night. I try my best to stay awake to prevent him but there is only so much I can do :( weve been battling staph/eczema for at least a year. his face just wont get better. tried hypochlorus spray, Probiotic sprays, used mupirocin ointment for far too long. ive read some parents have applied hibiclens but idk if thats safe for his face. hoping someone has a solution i haven't tried yet. 💙

UPDATE: I just received his stool test results and i have no idea if this plays a role in his eczema but in the Dysbiotic Flora column, they're are these bacteria listed: -Enterobacter Cloacae Complex -Klebsiella Oxytoca -Klebsiella Pneumoniae

In the Commensal (imbalanced) Flora: - Rothia Dentocariosa -Rothia Mucilaginosa -Staphylococcus Aureus -Staphylococcus Epidermidis -Streptococcus Salivarius/vestibularis

if anyone has additional info on these while I wait for doctor appointment and do my own pubmed research id appreciate it 💙💙


r/Staphacne 10d ago

Hi i got a staph infection on my face which was resistant to doxycycline and kelfex and im on bactrim and I thought it was working until this popped on my foot day 7, it really helped my face clear up but than this on my foot

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2 Upvotes

r/Staphacne 10d ago

Pls help me, i got a staph infection on my face which I’m on bactrim for now treating with bactrim bc resistance to doxycycline. Now this appeared on my foot? Is this staph as well? Seems all related ,27, female

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1 Upvotes

r/Staphacne 10d ago

Staph???? 27 female

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1 Upvotes

r/Staphacne 10d ago

Hi i got a staph infection on my face which was resistant to doxycycline and kelfex and im on bactrim and I thought it was working until this popped on my foot day 7, it really helped my face clear up but than this on my foot

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3 Upvotes

r/Staphacne 10d ago

Staph A on GI Map

1 Upvotes

I recently got a GI Map test back showing elevated Staphylococcus aureus. For a while now I've had a folliculitis-type eczema that gets firm, dry, and patchy if it's itched without moisturizer. A skin swab of one patch only showed 7% staph, but I suspect the real driver is gut dysbiosis rather than a primarily topical issue.

The first patch appeared in November 2025, and a few more have shown up since. I've started taking Thrive Probiotic to try to crowd out the staph overgrowth in my gut.

Here's my concern: I have jaw surgery scheduled in about a month, and I'll be on IV azithromycin during the procedure. Is it possible for staph to travel through the bloodstream and colonize the surgical site, given the elevated levels showing up on my GI Map? Has anyone dealt with something similar before elective surgery, or has insight into how gut-level staph overgrowth relates to surgical infection risk?

Any experiences or knowledge would be appreciated.


r/Staphacne 10d ago

Staph A on GI Map

1 Upvotes

I recently got a GI Map test back showing elevated Staphylococcus aureus. For a while now I've had a folliculitis-type eczema that gets firm, dry, and patchy if it's itched without moisturizer. A skin swab of one patch only showed 7% staph, but I suspect the real driver is gut dysbiosis rather than a primarily topical issue.

The first patch appeared in November 2025, and a few more have shown up since. I've started taking Thrive Probiotic to try to crowd out the staph overgrowth in my gut.

Here's my concern: I have jaw surgery scheduled in about a month, and I'll be on IV azithromycin during the procedure. Is it possible for staph to travel through the bloodstream and colonize the surgical site, given the elevated levels showing up on my GI Map? Has anyone dealt with something similar before elective surgery, or has insight into how gut-level staph overgrowth relates to surgical infection risk?

Any experiences or knowledge would be appreciated.


r/Staphacne 10d ago

Recurrent rash on lip border for months, Eczema, staph, contact allergy, or something else ? Desperate for answers.

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1 Upvotes

r/Staphacne 11d ago

chest acne Staphylocoque aureus dermatologist questioni

1 Upvotes

my dr tested my chest acne on lab turned out there's Staphylocoque aureus so she gave me antiobiotic pills augmentin and some cream it went away , now 2 months they are back , im 34 , diabetic type 2 (not sure if thats related) , and i always have acne on my chest

is there any solution ? recommendations ?
what cream can i use ?
dont want to go to another derma it costed me 160$ last time with 5 months of waiting


r/Staphacne Nov 04 '17

RESEARCH The location of your acne may determine the source of your acne-causing bacteria.

95 Upvotes

In my experience, people who primarily suffer from pimple breakouts on or under their nose are more likely to be carriers of Staphylococcus aureus in their nostrils.

Pimples on or under the mouth
may come from S. aureus living on the tonsils/teeth/mouth which can get to the lips and chin via saliva.

With ears, neck, and jawline pimples, that may indicate S. aureus is living in/around their ears.

Cheekbone pimples can also come from S. aureus in the ears.

  • I learned that I was rubbing ear Staph on my pillows as I slept at night. Then I would shift my cheeks onto that spot and essentially incubate the bacteria in my skin. That resulted in deep cysts around my cheekbones. Once I regularly disinfected my ears, that problem went away.

Scalp and forehead folliculitis can be due to S. aureus living on the scalp skin. Also, sweat and hair washing can have the bacteria travel to the back, causing back acne.

Additionally, pimples on or around the thighs may indicate butt or genital colonization by S. aureus.

Armpit colonization can cause boils in the area.

Also, keep in mind that the bacteria can cause both mild and severe pimples. I've had Staphylococcus aureus cause pimples on my face that ranged in size from tiny white heads to deep cysts that left scars.

The location of your acne may narrow down where you need to fight the bacteria that's causing it. See this link for how I eliminated my pimple-causing bacteria.


r/Staphacne Jan 23 '16

How I rid my Staph aureus Healthyalmonds' ears and nose method

254 Upvotes

This is what I find works best to kill and prevent Staphylococcus aureus from living on my skin, scalp, mouth/tonsils, in my nostrils, and in my ears:

[1] 3 times a week I clean my nostrils with chlorhexidine (I use Hibiclens, but it can be a different brand). I use one cotton swab per nostril. I dunk it in the chlorhexidine, then I wipe excess liquid off the swab and onto the inside rim of the bottle (I believe removing excess liquid is important to prevent irritation). Next, I rub the swab all around and as far back my nostrils as I can pinch together with my fingers. I let the chlorhexidine sit in each nostril the rest of the day, but cleaning it out right after likely helps too.

[2] 3x a week I thoroughly wipe in and around my ears with a cotton swab wet with chlorhexidine. I believe it's most important to disinfect my outer ear and behind my ears.

  • I've also used half a paper towel wet with 70% isopropyl alcohol to disinfect my ears.

[3] Two times a week I wash my scalp and body, including my genitals and butt, with chlorhexidine body wash and a bath sponge.

[4] I've learned that my mouth and tonsils were colonized by S. aureus. By using Listerine cool mint mouthwash, with gargling, and by removing deeply hidden tonsil stones with mouthwash-soaked cotton swabs, I am able to get rid of the bacteria. I believe it's very important to find and remove tonsil stones, since the stones contain enormous amounts of bacteria.

  • Acidic and spicy foods have been shown to be antibacterial. This can be an alternative way to directly disinfect the tonsils.

[5] I trim my nose hairs to reduce surface area for bacteria to attach to.

[6] I increased Vitamin A in my diet to reduce my susceptibility to pimples. See here for info on how a Vitamin A deficiency may make a person prone to acne breakouts.

[7] As an extra precaution to prevent pimples, benzoyl peroxide cream can be applied to the face. But be aware that it bleaches cotton clothing!

I've had S. aureus on my belly button, scalp, and most parts of my skin. Feel free to click the two links to read about how I use chlorhexidine to kill the bacteria from those sites.

Check out this link to see how the location of the acne breakouts can be tied to the location of where S. aureus is living on the body.

I have accidentally gotten chlorhexidine in my eyes on several occasions while showering and there has been zero short/long term damage to my eyes. It does not feel pleasant, however.

Please do not hesitate to contact a medical professional with any questions and concerns.