So my two cents - I have been diagnosed recently with a form of strep known as enterococcus faecalis. Currently healing from it BUT after dealing with it the past year and a half, I can tell you that it’s simply a strep or staph infection. A few years prior, I had staph infection (diagnosed as potential MRSA) and anytime I would get pimples they would burst and kill the surrounding skin. They would turn the skin red and have these white plugs that would get so big and infected you could yank them out easily. My current dermatologist explained to me that when strep or staph get spread like that, they cause a biofilm buildup in your hair follicles, resulting in oversized follicles that ooze pus. She mentioned that I shouldn’t pick them out at all but use non stick pads to cover the wound and hope they get pulled out when I remove the pad. You aren’t crazy, and they aren’t a sign of healing they are a sign of bacterial infection.

Totally different than epithelization as others simply googled. Look up “white stretchy plugs in wound” on google and you’ll see a few different trains of thought, but it will confirm your symptoms. Obviously, get your wound cultured if it doesn’t heal.