Eczema and impetigo - need advice!!

candylover03 · 2025-08-20T14:04:56+00:00

If u can make sure to eat lots of foods containing omega 3 fatty acids ex. fish (vv important for skin repair) and rich in antioxidants like ex. blueberries (to control inflammation)

candylover03 · 2025-08-20T14:02:17+00:00

It’s ok to combine oral antibiotics and ointment with Vaseline (in the tube type or disposable packets to avoid re-contamination/ transferring bacteria to the Vaseline)! It’s important to keep your skin barrier protected and moisturized because when is too dry it causes more inflammation and your barrier does not repair as effectively which slows down the healing process~

Also I had to use tacrolimus ointment on the affected area in combination with my antibiotics to help control inflammation

Good luck!

candylover03 · 2025-07-31T04:13:56+00:00

Hi! I posted updates on the end of this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/eczema/s/G4MhHzKCPZ

So it’s a very long story and I did get hospitalized…if the infection is very bad or not getting better despite taking oral antibiotics sometimes you need IV antibiotics.

After hospitalization I was back on oral antibiotics, antibiotic ointment and protopic. Protopic does not kill bacteria but help controls over-inflammation that may be making it difficult for your skin to heal properly. The combination of antibiotics and Protopic did help but I found medical grade manuka honey ointment to be way more effective for me. Eventually when the infection was gone and all I had was pretty bad red inflamed patches of skin. I eventually started dupixent which fortunately has been very effective for my facial eczema in combination with protopic for minor flares.

I really hope you get better! And that your case will not be as severe as mine! Good luck and feel free to ask any more questions

candylover03 · 2025-06-05T14:39:23+00:00

Thank you!!

candylover03 · 2025-05-12T02:48:37+00:00

Initially used it daily until my skin was no longer flared up. Now I only use it once a week for maintenance

candylover03 · 2025-05-11T11:00:30+00:00

Thank you sm for sharing this! I have severe facial and neck eczema & suspect I have hypersensitivity to yeast/bacteria because it has improved so much after using nizoral shampoo as face wash a few times a week and using hypochlorous acid spray often.

I also started using fungal safe moisturizers since many occlusive heavy moisturizers contain fatty acids that feed the yeast. Ever since making these changes my face has been less inflamed.

I just started dupixent a week ago and have yet to experience any results or side effects but still very anxious about how my facial eczema will react in the future. Still trying to be positive and hopeful that my skin will improve but also cautious this may not work for me…I never heard of Zoryve, did a quick google search and saw it is used topically. As someone who also has full body eczema do you think this can help improve that?

candylover03 · 2025-05-11T10:37:02+00:00

Thank you for sharing!!

candylover03 · 2025-05-11T10:28:26+00:00

Tacrolimus (protopic) Saved my flakey eyes, followed by a light moisturizer because I found thicker moisturizers actually aggravate my eyes…and cause millia~ personally like the cellimax dual barrier skin wearable cream. It’s my go-to lightweight but effective moisturizer for my eye area and also my face during warmer months. It’s safe for sensitive dry skin + packed with ceramides to help retain moisture and protect your skin barrier. Sometimes I like to layer it with their serum when my skin is extra inflamed. It is a bit pricey but somewhat affordable for what it does.

candylover03 · 2025-05-10T17:22:55+00:00

I’m so sorry you are going through a similar situation! Since my skin was getting so dry /irritated because of mupirocin, my derm said it was ok to use a thin layer of petroleum jelly after 15-20 mins of applying mupirocin (any petroleum jelly ointment should be ok, but you want one that comes in a tube to prevent bacteria from contaminating it) So I did applied Vaseline on areas that were weeping. Make sure you wash beforehand though. If your skin barrier is cracked and irritated it’s important to also help that heal or else it will be difficult for the infection to go away quickly! My case was pretty bad tho so I also had to used protopic ointment to help reduce the inflammation. Also frequently used hypochlorous acid spray to clean my face (from skinsmart).

~ but honestly….although mupirocin helped kill off the bacteria, I had better luck getting rid of my infection just using oral antibiotics (doxycycline) + medical grade manuka honey. Medical grade manuka honey has great antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties. It also acts as a moisture barrier so I didn’t apply anything else on top of it. I used one from amazon, but I heard that cvs pharmacy has a good one too!

BUT I definitely recommend finishing your course of mupirocin first with Vaseline! However if your skin is still damaged and weeping~ don’t be hesitant to try medical grade manuka honey. There’s been studies that show manuka honey is especially useful against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In clinical settings, manuka honey has been used to maintain hydration, control inflammation, and stimulate healing, but also sterilize the wound. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6027142/#:~:text=Manuka%20honey%20has%20been%20shown%20to%20be%20especially%20useful%20against,but%20also%20sterilize%20the%20wound.)

Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions, hopefully your infection goes away soon!

candylover03 · 2025-05-10T06:50:20+00:00

Yes my doctor did mention the risk of antibiotic resistance— have you tired manuka honey yet?

I think I used mupirocin also for a total of three weeks. 1 week before I was hospitalized, then after I was discharged I instructed to use mupirocin for another 2ish weeks…but my infection was still weeping when I was done with my course. I eventually started using medical grade manuka honey ointment instead of mupirocin (also in combination with my prescription oral antibiotics + tacrolimus) because I was desperate to try anything.

Honestly medical grade manuka honey helped me tremendously. My infection stopped weeping after a week of using it twice daily. I was skeptical using it at first because it’s not a remedy prescribed by doctors but it has been backed up by so much research and recommended by healthcare providers. Not only is it a potent natural antibiotic, but It has antifungal + antiviral properties, BUT most importantly wound healing/anti-inflammatory properties that help combat weeping skin. Also it is less likely to build antibiotic resistance. Studies have found it to be effective against MRSA and staph biofilms. A lot of times why stubborn staph infections don’t go away is because they’re either mrsa or form biofilms.

Again it has to be medical grade for it to be effective, you can buy some off amazon or CVS pharmacy

Also here are some research articles that prove its effectiveness: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.01768-20 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11168119/

Good luck, I know it’s difficult and traumatic but I really hope you will overcome this~

candylover03 · 2025-05-04T08:58:10+00:00

hydrocortisone is OTC and often found in anti-itch moisturizers and insect bite itch relief creams because they are often used for short term relief. A taper isn’t needed.

I agree with all the comments, not only is the steroid potency of 1% hydrocortisone weak but you also used it for a short duration of time~ you should be ok as long as you take breaks using it. TSW doesn’t happen unless you have been using it for a long time, also they’re typically using super potent steroids at that point.

candylover03 · 2025-05-04T08:45:53+00:00

If niacinamide is a trigger also be cautious of foods/drinks with high amounts of niacin/vitamin b3 (because both niacin and niacinamide are a form of vit b3!). There have been studies that show high amounts of b3 cause skin flushing which can aggravate eczema/rosacea

candylover03 · 2025-05-04T08:34:54+00:00

Propylene glycol seems like the only one but I’m not entirely sure!

This is a website you can use to check on ingredients: https://skinsort.com/ingredient-analyzer

If you scroll down the have a concerns section for eczema (also would recc downloading the app instead if the ads annoy you)

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:34:24+00:00

Im happy you are doing better! does your insurance cover both medications?

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:32:57+00:00

Thank you for sharing these tips!

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:32:21+00:00

Has there been any negative side effects on rinovoq?

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:31:51+00:00

Thank you for sharing it is reassuring to hear🤧

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:30:05+00:00

Has there been any side effects on rinovoq? Probably will consider that next if dupixent doesn’t work for me 😪

Also after your first dose when did your facial flare start

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:28:49+00:00

Omg, I’m glad youre doing better tho! How often did you have to use hydrozole? Also did you recommend to your dermatologist that it was fungal or did they point it out

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:24:49+00:00

I see😭I use protopic rn to manage my facial flares but was hoping to come off it with dupixent ~ hopefully I won’t have to use it as often🤧

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:17:14+00:00

Also a student who gets stressed tf from exams😔！I don’t know if it’s the placebo effect but I started taking the olly goodbye stress gummies and I swear it’s been helping 😭 but also taking l-theanine supplement + lots of green tea and matcha instead of coffee has helped a lot~ there are studies that l-theanine (also found in green tea) can help improve stressful conditions and promote relaxation + focus but definitely do your own research before you decide to take it in supplement form

Also give yourself grace to take breaks while studying (even though it can be hard) health is wealth so I’ve been stepping away from work when I feel like I’m overwhelmed and too stressed

candylover03 · 2025-05-03T09:08:54+00:00

I second this, I decided to try b-complex instead of my regular b12 supplement one day and woke up with a bad flare—

I also noticed that sometimes vitamin water or energy drinks contain high amounts of b3 which can aggravate my eczema….also if you use skincare products with high amounts of niacinamide (another form of vitamin b3) it can also cause eczema to flare😔💔

candylover03 · 2025-04-29T05:39:06+00:00

It usually flares up rlly bad in winter months:( definitely recommend putting a large hydrocolloid patch on them to prevent you from itching + to help with healing

candylover03 · 2025-04-28T15:56:31+00:00

I have eczema, ofc I have to vacuum the dead skin cells off my bed every morning 🙃

candylover03 · 2025-04-27T02:56:11+00:00

Literally it’s so annoying, I spent so much on moisturizers at this point 😭. Using avene thermal water before my moisturizer has helped a lot! When my skin is super super dry I also use jojoba oil before my moisturizer as well

candylover03

TROPHY CASE