Got a dose of folliculitis, caused by a staph infection from rolling at a local public dojo. Got some (weak Japanese) antibiotics. Anyone any advice? (Apart from don't go there again!) For instance, how long should it take to clear up etc? I already got the stuff about not picking up my baby ( ), and keeping and washing towels separately and all that.
Depends on how bad it is. You could try over the counter triple antibiotic cream/ointment and make sure you clean the area with soap and water (preferably an antibacterial soap like Dial) If it continues to get worse, more redness, swelling, pain, you will need to see your physician for oral antibiotics. You would probably be better off seeing a health care professional regarding this, because you don't want this to get carried away. If oral antibiotics don't work, and it gets too bad, you may end up in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Also, without knowing your health history, infections in certain groups of people are worse than other, like diabetes, heart conditions, HIV disease, chronic hepatitis, people on immunosupressants for arthritis, lupus, etc. Best advice I can give you is if it doesn't get better soon, see you physician. There is also a bacteria in the community called MRSA, which is a Staph species that is resistant to a lot of antibiotics, so if you do get antibiotics and it doesn't get better, continue follow up with your doctor to make sure it gets better. Staph infections and folliculitis, can seem harmless when it starts, but it can get worse in a hurry. So keep an eye on it! One the average, treated it may last a couple of days to a week, depending on severity, the actual bacteria it self, if it is more that one bacteria, etc... What antibiotics did you get? Some are better than others for treating skin infections. Hope you get well soon!
Sorry, after your detailed and helpful post, I did think I'd posted a reply several days ago but it either got lost in the ether or I hit a wrong button somewhere. Of course, I'd been to the docs, but in Japan that's no guarantee of anything! The antibiotic they gave me was Cefzon, but only 100mg 3/day for 3 days, which according to most sources I found on the net is pretty much a kids' dose. They also gave me some antibacterial gel. But anyway, it seems OK now. It was folliculitis, and there are still red spots but they're tiny and dry and the pus and soreness have gone.
