I was wondering if anyone else experienced skin issues with Lyme and if it cleared up after treatment.
I began with small red patches of dry skin that were itchy and started getting cysts that won't go away even after lancing and draining them. This particularly was happening on my face.
I also started getting back and chest acne, some on the face. Since I began treatment the dry patches cleared up, but it seems my chest is getting worse.
The cysts haven't gone away, but they are smaller and fill less frequently. About a few months ago during the winter I noticed small randomly shaped white patches on my face above my upper lip below the corners of my nose.
I went to the beach for a day and those white patches that weren't really noticeable are very noticeable now. Not only that, but now I have white patches on each side of my nose starting at the bridge and extending down below my eyes to the center of my nose.
Last summer after being in the sun I have a few small hard brown spots, they don't change and won't go away.
My LLMD said this is my body trying to detox, she said the skin is the first place the dead bacteria and all will try to come out. She said this should clear up when I'm better.
I was tested and have no coinfections, though my doc said I have two strains of Lyme. She said one is a European strain that mostly affects the skin and the other a NA strain that attacks the joints.
I trust my doc fully, just looking for anyone else with a similar experience and if you have any helpful tips.
Before Lyme I had pretty clear skin, just sensitive for razor bumps and such.
Posted by rks (Member # 24316) on :
I have had all kinds of different rashes and bruise easily, but this has happened for years, even before treatment.
The only thing that I can think of right now that sounds like one of things you are talking about is one time when I was on an herb artemisia, I got this dry, red patchy rash that itched along my ribs. Didn't think nothing of it at first, but then it got worse, so I called my doc and was taken off of it and it went away.
I hope you get some answers and start feeling better soon!
Posted by BleedGreen (Member # 33468) on :
Thank you!
Those red patches were small, they started on my face and then I started getting them all over. I did change the environment that I was living when I started getting them.
Basically I moved from the mountains to the ocean, I was thinking that the difference in the air (not as thin, very salty and humid) had something to do with it.
I went to my PCP for that, she gave me a five day abx that did nothing but kill my stomach. Then she sent me to a dermatologist, he was useless. Two years later I get treated for Lyme and it goes away.
I know those patches aren't related to Lyme, but they did stop when I got treated. They seemed to be seasonal during the cold weather. My main concern is the white patches on the face, the other thing would be the tiny hard brown lumps on my back/shoulder area.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
-coinfection testing is very poor
i have had many skin things the whole time with lyme...but none really blamed on lyme by docs
i have many skin tags
i have many petchea-little red spots-that an llmd said is babs
others on here say it is bart
i am getting more and more brown spots...some raised and changeing shape and color...because of this i have a derm appt next week...
but laast month a aguy from Mass came to see me in NH and he showed me a cluster of very light brown spots...not raised or itchy or anything
now i have a group like them -a few groups in different places so i am interested in what all these things are
yrs ago i went ot a specialist in nyc and he named everything i had and said it was normal and not dagerous...but he said this about the little red ones that llmds say are babs...so i am still worried...
i'm thinking derms are as bad as neruos
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
The white patches sound like Vitiligo.
Although most of the info online doesn't say so, I think they are associated with Lyme.
Posted by amk33 (Member # 13206) on :
I just got the white patches, with darker areas on my face this summer, too. I think it is vitiligo, caised by the plaquenil that I have been taking.
Posted by glm1111 (Member # 16556) on :
BleedGreen,
Could be parasites which can be a co-infection of Lyme, but not usually dx by docs. Do a search on here for parasites and also google parasite symptoms.
You might want to consider doing some antiparasitic herbs.
Gael
Posted by BleedGreen (Member # 33468) on :
Thanks for your responses, I'm going to definitely read up on parasites.
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
The the red patches of dry skin, itching, and white patches are hallmark symptoms for Pityriasis versicolor. Read and check out the pictures here, see if it looks familiar: http://dermnetnz.org/fungal/pityriasis-versicolor.html
Malassezia is a common skin yeast. It doesn't usually cause symptoms. If conditions are right it can overgrow. High humidity, heat, oily skin (or topical products like sunscreen), stress, antibiotics, these are some risk factors.
If this sounds like what you've been struggling with, you may want to print the articles and bring them to show your doctor so that they can start you on the proper treatment.
Posted by karenl (Member # 17753) on :
My skin is almost ok after I started parasite treatment, especially salt/C did a big change.