Acne's not contagious, right?

April 24, 2009 10:35 AM

Acne isn't contagious - so what is this? Skin condition details inside.

My 24-year-old girlfriend has a skin condition that looks similar to acne. She gets red, itchy spots on her face and body. They are about the size of pimples, but I have never seen them filled with pus, like a normal pimple.

When she inevitably scratches them, they scab over and scar. She always has a few of these, and sometimes she has many of them. She's had this condition since I first met her almost 4 years ago.

About a year ago, I got a skin infection in my left arm pit. The infection consisted of pretty rapidly spreading red, itchy spots. After waiting for it to go away for about a week without treating it, I used a prescription antibiotic cream, and it cleared right up. I didn't think anything of it at the time.

Since the first infection, however, I've gotten several more, always limited to my left arm pit. Thing is, that's the side of my body where my girlfriend lies up against me in our "before we go to sleep" cuddling position. In this position, her chest is usually in contact with my left underarm. Each time I've gotten the infection, I've treated it with the antibiotic cream, and it goes away within a couple of days.

I plan to tell my GP, who is also my girlfriend's GP, about this at my next physical in a couple of weeks. I thought I'd see if anyone here had any ideas or similar experiences. The infections under my arm don't bother me much, but if my girlfriend has something other than acne - something that may be treatable - I'd love for her to get it taken care of. I know she hates the spots and the scarring. I love her anyway, but it would be great if she could put those spots behind her

posted by Strumpf Marionette to health & fitness (15 comments total)

It sounds like a staph infection to me. Get thee to a doctor.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 10:39 AM on April 24

Scabies?
Pityriasis Rosea?
Here's a rash flowchart that may help you diagnose.
posted by twistofrhyme at 10:41 AM on April 24 [1 favorite has favorites]

I had a staph infection on my face when I was a teenager, and it was nothing like the OP describes. It does sound like she has a rash of some sort, and that CAN become infected with staph very easily. So, either way, get thee to a doctor. There could be something you've both come in contact with that's causing allergic reactions, or it could be some contagious something-or-other that reveals itself through rash-like symptoms.
posted by katillathehun at 10:43 AM on April 24

Follow-up in case I wasn't clear:
My girlfriend has had this condition since I met her. It's not debilitating like I would imagine scabies or a staph infection would be.

Pityriasis Rosea doesn't seem to match my girlfriend's symptoms. I followed the flowchart, but none of the symptoms / diagnoses really fit, especially when taking into account the fact that she's been suffering from these symptoms for so long.
posted by Strumpf Marionette at 10:49 AM on April 24

Could be a fungus of some sort. The GP should be able to straighten it all out. And as long as neither of you are debilitated then I don't think a couple weeks is too long to wait to find out what it is.
posted by cooker girl at 11:00 AM on April 24

Staph isn't always debilitating. In fact, severe staph infections are very rare outside of a medical setting. Many strains are very mild, and often go misdiagnosed for ages. They produce red blotches with scale/scab like tops which itch like CRAZY.

I've also seen Streptococcal skin infections which match your description. They tend to have yellow scabs rather than blood colored, and take longer to dry up without treatment than Staph infection scabs.

It could of course be viral, but those dont usually itch unless its shingles, and they arent usually contact transmission vector happy.

The third possibility besides viral or bacterial infection is a fungal infection. These can be a bugger to get rid of if its wide spread across the skin. Try treating ONE of the bumps with an anti-fungal cream (not powder) for a few weeks and see if it goes away faster than usual. If so, its fungal. If not, its bacterial or viral.

How frequently do these bumps rise and then take to heal? Weeks? Days? Are they sore, or just itchy?

The prime thing I've found which helps nearly any BACTERIAL rash is to regularly scrub down with a dilute vinegar mix. If this doesn't help after about a month, go to the doctor and get a topical steroid/antibiotic cream.
posted by strixus at 11:01 AM on April 24

The lack of pus doesn't match, but the scabbing, scarring, and easy spread might: Impetigo?
posted by girlbowler at 11:20 AM on April 24

IANAD, but in my experience staph infections are most definitely filled with pus. Definitely get it checked out. In the meantime, can't she use your antibiotic cream to keep these things from crowding her face?
posted by Night_owl at 11:21 AM on April 24

I'm so not a doctor... It could be irritation from lying close to her. I get acne from sweating in my sleep. I still think you should get it checked out, because the internet won't give you a definite answer like a doctor will.
posted by Gor-ella at 11:24 AM on April 24

Could it be molluscum contagiosum?
posted by infinitywaltz at 11:37 AM on April 24

Your girlfriend's outbreaks sound a lot like what my sister has--lymphomatoid papulosis. It's pretty rare, and it took a long time for her to get diagnosed properly. Her condition is under control with a regular low dose of the chemotherapy drug Methotrexate. However, it's not at all contagious, so unless you're getting simple acne from contact irritation, it might not make sense--I'm only suggesting it so that your girlfriend can have it ruled out. My sister went from GP to dermatologist to an oncologist. You girlfriend should not let her doctors continue to ignore this. A mysterious years-long condition that results in scabbing and scarring needs to be diagnosed and treated.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 11:40 AM on April 24

Have you ruled out bedbugs?
posted by hermitosis at 12:40 PM on April 24

I knew someone who had a yeast infection in his armpit.

This previous AskMe might have some helpful information.
posted by trip and a half at 1:59 PM on April 24

Who told you acne isn't contagious? Acne often involves a minor infection, often with staph bacteria.
posted by chairface at 5:14 PM on April 24

Skin infections like these are quite common in boxing gyms. They keep coming back because people don't realise they have an infection, they just assume its acne, and it keeps getting passed around and around.
posted by compound eye at 5:51 PM on April 25