i think i might have a staph infection, what medication(s) should i be taking for it to heal?

Question

it looks like an ingrown hair, like a pimple, but there is a light red area around what looks like an ingrown hair, and it is painful to touch and swollen.

Answer 1

As a nurse I am advising you to see a physician or a nurse practitioner about this. Staph infections can become extremely serious and there is a strain of staph called MRSA(methacillin resistant staph auereus) that is extremely difficult to clear up and has resulted in some deaths. We carry staph on our bodies as a normal flora, but it is an opportunistic organism. On healthy, intact skin it poses no problem, but, if you have a cut or in your case an ingrown hair it can lead to serious problems. Don't rely on any advise from YA except this,see a medical professional as soon as possible.
The other nurse gave you some good advise, however, as a lay person you really don't know what you have going on. If you wait until you have red streaks running from the site, or fever,etc. you may be in worse shape. The safest bet is tosee a medical professional before the infection has an opportunity to spread. But do not go digging around in it yourself.

Answer 2

What you're describing sounds like a boil. A boil is a local infection of your skin caused by bacteria that usually enters through a hair follicle. You can probably treat this at home.

Here are some tips on what to do for this and when to see your doctor:

1. Apply hot pack (warm, moist towel...hot but not to the point it will burn your skin) for 20 minutes several times a day. This will help the infection to open up and drain.

2. NEVER try to scratch, squeeze, pop, or otherwise open up the sore. Doing this can cause a worse infection.

3. Keep the area clean and dry. Cover with a bandaid if necessary.

4. If it opens up and drains, wash it with mild soap and cover it with a bandaid. Change the bandaid at least once a day.

WHEN TO CALL A DOCTOR:

1. If the redness gets significantly worse with red streaks going away from the area.

2. If the pain becomes significantly worse. (it will be painful until it opens and drains because the skin is being stretched).

3. If you run a fever over 100.

4. If you start feeling ill otherwise (headache, body aches, chillls, etc).

Answer 3

I don't think you have a staph infection per se. Usually when people speak of staph infections, they're talking about systemic antibiotic-resistant disease.

Really, it's probably just an infected ingrown hair, a boil. Put hot washcloth compresses on it. Sterilize a pair of tweezers with 90% isopropanol, rub the alcohol on the skin with a cotton ball, and attempt to extract the hair carefully. Put a bandaid on it when you're finished. It should heal within a few days.

If it hurts too much, use the alcohol or a pimple treatment on it to dry out the skin. Whatever bacteria are in there will dry out and die as well. When the skin starts peeling, then try to extract the hair in the same way (sterilize the surface and the tools).

Answer 4

You can treat most small staph skin infections that aren't serious at home by washing the skin with an antibacterial cleanser, applying an antibiotic ointment, and covering the skin with a clean dressing. To prevent the spread of infection, use a towel only once when you clean an area of infected skin, then wash it in hot water (or use disposable towels).

If an infection becomes severe and turns very red or becomes very sore or is accompanied by fever or a generally ill feeling, you should call your doctor. For severe infections, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic for you. If so, be sure to take your antibiotic as prescribed for as many days as your doctor directs. If a person has a large, pus-filled staph infection, it may need to be drained by a doctor.

Answer 5

It probably is not a staph infection, nothing so serious. Depending on where it is you should use witch hazel, or alchohol. Or you can get some Clydamicin, which treats infections like that. It is a topical treatment. If you get them often, then see a dermatologist, you have a bacteria problem that needs prescription. Don't try to pop it or pick the hair out, it will get infected or scar. And that's no fun!

Answer 6

If you think you might have a staph infection you had better RUN to your doctor, that is nothing to play with. An ingrown hair does hurt and can be red BTW.

Answer 7

Sounds like you have a boil, It's hard to say if it's infected with Staph without viewing some of the puss under the microscope. Try putting some heat on it to bring the boil to a head (point). Hopefully it will burst and a whole bunch of pus and blood will skeet out. You will feel better immediately. Then you need to clean the area and keep it dry. If you can't get the boil to burst, you must see a doctor so that they can lance (cut) it. Either way, the pus must come out,

Answer 8

the best thing to do is to go to a dermatologist and not to self medicate. the thing with staph infections, they have increased resistance to antibiotics because people have the tendency to self-medicate and in inappropriate doses which doesn't get rid of them. they can adapt to their environment, just like every other organism. for now, just put some ice pack on it to reduce the swelling and to get rid of the redness. maybe it will just go on its on. just don't prick or pull the hair out to avoid the risk of getting it infected, for sure, that will be a staph infection once it gets infected. if you've had it for a week already, you should definitely see a dermatologist.

Answer 9

Staph = dirty....wash it with lots of clean soap an water air dry
ingrown hair well it's your turn to pick it out..
use a good antibiotic cream
if it get worse see a nurse

Answer 10

Sounds awful. You have my sympathy. Reading your message it occurs to me that you have tried doctors and hospitals so why not give herbs and alternative medicines a try. In the old days wounds were bandaged with plants like sage and garlic which are powerful antiseptics. Try things like vitamins, Yakult and herbs for awhile and get your body clear of these modern day drugs which are so powerful they often cause other problems. There is a lot of alternative medicine advice on line. A few keywords in Google will tell you which herbs are antiseptic, antifungul and antibiotic. Try them in poltice like bandaging. Good luck.