It's not zits I think it's folliculitis - read if you have dermatological mystery bumps

 

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/folliculitis-topic-overview

I have had this stuff going on mainly on my face, where I have facial hair.  They start out as bumps that tend to get red and maybe itchy, then swell and get darn painful.  I had found the best thing to do (without targeting the problem) was to soap up the area multiple times to get them to dry out.  Because if they go to whitehead faster and I drained them, then they healed.  Otherwise they ran the risk of getting "subcutaneous" and being un-poppable, massive things - more like cysts or abcess in my opinion than zits.

Anyway, with all of the talk about MRSA, staph, these days (which I am highly suspicious of in regards to UC as well) I came across a few pages on "Folliculitis"

Apparently the hair follicles can become infected with various things - one of them being staph, another being fungus.  After reading the description, I realized this *is* what I have.  I will now (finally) make an appointment with a dermatologist and get them to test and find out what the offending invader is.

What kept me up thinking last night was - let's say my folliculitis is caused by 1. Staph or 2. Candida.  I see no reason why this cannot inform a homeopathic treatment targeting my UC.  We all know about Candida.  Staph apparently is carried by most of us asymptomatically, but nevertheless, it tends to reside in the nose/sinuses from what I've read.  Well, this seems suspect to me, and I know many of you read the study on the "Murine model of ulcerative colitis." 

Let's say the dermatologist finds that I am getting folliculitis on my face from staph.  Well, it seems to me that by using nasal washes, medication, etc, it can only benefit my entire body which would no longer be dealing with this pathogen in large numbers.  It's not clear that this would *cause* my UC by any means - however, I find it interesting that staph is on the rise outside of medical settings these days...

I'll post whatever the findings are.

Here's another "skin thing" that I had, related to taking Prednisone. I thought I had suddenly developed adult acne. It was around my mouth and chin. Red and sometimes pain, uncomfortable bumps of varying sizes. I bought Proactiv, thinking it was acne. Then my dermatologist told me it was Perioral Dermatitis. (And the abrasive Proactiv was the worst thing for it!)

Perioral Dermatitis is a usually chronic and annoying condition that can get really bad. Red bumps circling the mouth area. It's not pretty. And they don't know what causes it but give you a pamphlet that says things like "cinnamon and toothpaste might make it worse." Well, that's helpful. ANYway, my dermatologist figured out that it was caused by my STOPPING PREDNISONE. They usually see it with people who have stopped topical steriods but it was definitely the prednisone in my case. (I'd tapered off it, by the way, of course.) The whole thing cleared up with creams in about 3 months.

The other things that you guys described sounds different, but I thought I'd mention this in case anyone else experiences something similar when they stop taking Prednisone.

Well I am discouraged about having yet another misguided contact with the healthcare profession.

I am thinking about trying some Tea Tree Oil product, but I know nothing about it or where to buy it.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions about Tea Tree Oil?

This bumps you're referring to, do they have a 'cycle' so to speak?  I have red bumps that occur about 2 inches below my belly button and come and go every couple months.  They itch like crazy, and will leak some kind of clear fluid if I itch them too much.  They'll be there a couple weeks and disappear on their own, only to come back a couple months later.  I do know they aren't caused by contact with clothing...I've narrowed it down that much at least.  Thought it may have something to do with UC since it started not long after being diagnosed.

Nathan.....my husband gets similar from areas that rub on clothes. They're still folliculitis or zits, probably caused by staph. The're like a huge zit...and after it's squeezed and the hair removed, he applies a salicylate gel that helps heal them quickly.

He also gets some on his back....especially when he's working with wood...part allergy as well.

Are yours large and very painful and take forever to heal? They could be boils...and are contagious.

If not, you could apply polysporin/neosporin and see if that helps...or use any of the acne products available. The ones that contain benzoyl peroxide will bleach clothes. My husband uses the Clean & Clear salicylate gel...works great.

quincy

Have you considered allergy to latex from your underwear or jeans/pants?

q

I never thought of an allergy to latex, simply because I've never had a reaction to it before from condoms, latex gloves, etc.  I'm going to look up that dermatographic urticaria though.  That sounds more like what it is.  It's not where my boxers/jeans are, but just above.  Seems as though it gets rubbed by them occasionally, such as now when I'm sitting down.

I just wanted to know if anyone that had dealt with these folliculitis type problems had tried the head and shoulders, and if so, did it help?

Since I began using it, I do not have any major breakouts to speak of.  That's major folks.  My problem with these was sudden, not lifelong, and was seriously taking a toll on my quality of life.  Now it's GONE!  Like my UC will be one day soon.

I am going to look into this subject a little more and hopefully find something that helps the rest of my problems - namely UC.  I am still highly suspicious of the role of staph in UC.  I plan on writing a letter to the CDC.  I don't care if it doesn't get anywhere - I'll be sending them a letter anyway.  Maybe several.  Once I get a coherent post written on this topic, I will post it for your review.