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The below is a forum entry made by one of our community members. If you want to know more about your condition, we suggest you read the following article written by a mental health professional on
Picking Scabs
White Stretchy Plugs
I've always squeezed bumps and blemishes on my skin, but recently I've gone through a period of work-related stress. I was off work for 2 months, during which time my picking and squeezing got worse. I had lots of blemishes on my chest which I squeezed and picked until I had a few nasty little wounds. One of them became quite deep, and I discovered that when I picked the scab off there were a few little white pinhead shapes under it, in the wound. They were screaming out to me to be picked out, but I couldn't do it by hand - I had to use tweezers. Sometimes I found I would need a wool needle to ease the white thing out a bit before the tweezers could get hold of them. When I pulled, a white elasticy thing would stretch and then come out. It was about 2mm long. It was VERY satisfying to pull it out, so I looked for some more in my skin. This made my picking worse, and I now find I am thinking of it quite a lot of the day. I am longing to pull more stretchy white things out of my skin. I put up with quite a bit of discomfort and pain just to get the satisfaction of pulling out these stretchy white plugs. To heal my wounds I use Savlon antiseptic liquid, and they begin to dry up quite quickly. But this is the most tempting time to pick - the scab becomes very crusty and itchy, and I see little white bumps underneath which could be those white plugs I long to pull out. They are itchy and I am dying to pull them out!
Hi... I hear you on the long waiting list in Canada! Very frustrating. I'm surprised that a follow-up appointment wasn't made at your last appointment. You could call your doc's office and ask for the results of the swab test. If there was an issue then an appropriate medication can be given. Sometimes the results kind of get lost in the shuffle of day-to-day business. It's happened to me. Regarding the toothpaste I wouldn't use it on my face but I am curious whether it does work for Whitening your teeth? I do use the A & H whitening, but it doesn't have peroxide in it. Do you find that with the lesions, does it get inflamed around the sore or have rubbery like structures around that area?
Hello Snipzie. I am stubborn - too stubborn for my own good. Yesterday, I went to emergency. I saw a doctor. The results of my swab were a common bacteria. Steph B if I recall. It is found on all of us and did not indicate a clear cause but eliminated many. No cancer, No STD, No parasite. I showed both the triage nurse and the treating doctor my past prescriptions and related the pain I have been dealing with for 18 months. He said they are clogged hair follicles. That past treatments were topical. He will try to fight it from the inside. He has prescribed an oral antibiotic (penicillin) and oral pain relief. Demoxadril I think. It has been 24 hours. I am avoiding using any products on my wound except polysporine to help with the pain. The regiment is for ten days. My plugs are still few and very small. But my wound requires healing. Sigh I think there is light at the end of this tunnel :-)
Uhm - thank you for being here snipzie
Hi everyone,
Ok, so after dealing with thus for years i agree they are clogged hair follicles. Now, after seeing the dermatologist and being diagnosed with neurodermatitis, my son was diagnosed with psoriasis. Psoriasis runs in families and as far as i know there ate no other diagnoses in my family. However, they may be misdiagnosed as many of my family members struggle with skin conditions. When we think of psoriasis it includes a misfire of an inflammatory process that tells our skin to fix it fix it. It almost seems like the more i pick the worse it gets and more and more plugs come. Is there a correlation between psoriasis and these plugs? Mayyybe!! ....my son doesnt pick but i do.. I think that might be why the doctors camt tell what it is.
Please readabout follicular psoriasis here:
www.the-dermatologist.com/article/follicular-psoriasis
I would really like to conpare some images with whoever is willing... Really annoying i cant upload them here.
**Whomever ;).....
I think its also important to note it is hard for me to shave my legs, bikini line, or pluck any hairs without consequences. I plucked a hair on my lip, outbreak.... Derm said it was a cold sore (it def wasnt) because i get those too. I pluck a hair on my neck.. Outbreak.. I wax my bikini line.. Outbreak. Shave my legs.. And so on.. However, i know it is not razor burn because it only occurs as the hairs grow back. Because of the irritation with shaving my legs, i got an epilator and i use it so that i can go longer not having to worry about hairy legs or a follicular outbreak. When the hair starts to grow back it gets infected. It grows these plugs. I never got a positive test for any bacteria. Weird? ....i even had a sore tongue and mouth they said was thrush from antibiotics. I beg to differ when my tongue always hurts on and off from literally one day to the next sometimes. I notice my tongue splitting and swollen white taste buds. Mostly at the back. My toe nails have ridges and are flakey.. Also the tips of my toes have started peeling as well as my finger tips. I live in canada so its cold winter at the moment. I also wanted to mention the leision that recently got out of control changed in shape, texture, everything along the way. Sometimes it appeared to be healed but the white things under the skin start again.. This pissed my derm off because he didnt know what to do with me. So bad he walked out and i need to find a new derm. I kept insisting on an answer as to what the white plugs were and he literally called me crazy and i needed psychiatric help. Said if i stop picking it will go away. He had me on 6 goes on antibiotics and they all failed. I think maybe he was more disappointed in himself for not diagnosing me properly.. Not sure? Anyway, it was white then really red then pink they kinda green then yellow/white.. The look of it changed a lot as it progressed. It also was white and flakey red underneath at times; or mushy green/yellow and pink unferneath. But when you remove the scab, thats when you can see all the hair follicles/plugs sticking out of each ..pore..? When i wemt to the derm it always had either a mushy scab from being covered or hard scab from being air dried. He never got to see it properly and ignored my pictures. Anyway, rant over. Just frustrated trying to figure this out. I hope this kind of info might help some.
Some guy...thank you :)....good you made the decision to go to urgent care. I hope the meds make a difference more quickly to get the lesion under control and healing. If it doesn't start healing, I suggest you go back to urgent care. I also suggest you get a copy of the swab results. The pain med I cant find in a search....hope it helps your discomfort.
Please keep us updated.
Hello GillCo - hmm. Sorry - the pain med is Naproxen 250 mg. The penicillin is penicillin potassium 300 mg. The emergency doctor also referred me to a dermatologist in a nearby community but don't have an appointment yet. I took three days off work. Today I am feeling better but I have said this before. I will come back here on Monday. I hope to have good news. Sorry - way behind on work and it hasn't stopped snowing for four days. Yah man :-) Life
Ah...naproxen. Good to hear that you're waiting for a dermo appt and are feeling somewhat better. Hope the snow stops soon....
Some Guy,
I really hope you get an answer from your derm. I really cant wait to hear!! Gooood Luck!!
Hello :-) Uhm - this isn't working either. Still lots of pain and the plugs continue to grow. Sigh. I have two more days of penicillin and I will return to emergency to see another doctor. Still no call from the dermatologist - no appointment. I will let you know what they prescribe next. Hopefully something that will work. Morphine perhaps - lol. Thanks
I can tell you now that antibiotics do NOT work. I was on 5 different ones 6 goes at it... All did nothing... This is why the derm walked out on me and diagnosed me with Neurodermatitis.
For those who are not aware of neurodermatitis, it is a condition of a scratch itch cycle.. The scratch creates the itch and the more you scratch the more you itch. This is not what I have even though the derm diagnosed me with it. He was fed up at the fact NO antibiotic he tried worked. AND never grew bacteria from 5 different swabs.
I have a HUGE red scar on my neck now bigger than a twoonie.
What I have are boils and ingrown and follicular problems I scratch out to release from under the skin because THEY hurt like hell more than they itch.
There is definitely plugs under there too and I have pulled them out so THEY EXIST and I'm not crazy! I have very clear pictures too! I actually have a lawsuit on my plate right now because of how he made me feel. I couldnt breathe and panicked and cried as he walked out refusing to treat me.
Here's the good part though. As I said about a month later, my 12 year old son was diagnosed with psoriasis at CHEO. God bless CHEO and it really got me thinking...
He was prescribed "Betamethasone DIP" and when I broke out, I did not want to use the cream for myself as to not waste it on him. However, i got one so painful in an unmentionable spot that I had to try it.
At first I didn't notice much as it looked oozy and I could see the white plugs.. I tweezed some but I am trying my best not to pick like before. So I used a little cream for about 5 days now and last night a hair follicle came to the surface and it was huge! I took pictures and its the best ones I got so far. The day before, I plucked the surface of that hair follicle that looked like the tiny plugs I am used to seeing. It then later came to the surface and left quite the hole for such a little/big guy.
I read about how this ointment works. It opens the pores so the stuff inside can come up and out. This is exactly what it did like nothing else i have EVER tried in the past 7 years.
Since my son is prescribed this cream I plan to take it to my doctor and explain how it works miracles for me!
Since I can't get answers as to an exact diagnosis, the only next best thing is finding what helps. I fully realize this is a lifelong condition and I will need to use this ointment or something alike (for psoriasis) for the rest of my life!
At least my son and I can understand each other and help each other through it all. And I really hope all who are reading don't ignore what I have to say about this ointment and ask for it! Especially before being on 60 days straight antibiotics that DO NOTHING.
HOWEVER, if your doctor does grow bacteria, or suspect staph (which mine looked like flesh eating) or strep you should probably not ignore this and use the appropriate antibiotics.
But ya ......just ask for the cream BETAMETHASONE along with the appropriate treatment plan. I guarantee you never healed faster.
Gill
I've used betamethasone....didnt help. Not cupposed to be used on face, but my doc was desperate. Made it worse because of the medium it was in. MMine do not itch....ever.
Guy....you need to push for a biopsy.
Thank you everyone :-) I will head to emergency tomorrow morning. Ask for some top shelf stuff. I will mention betamethasone - Thank you GillCo! My wound is feeling better today but I think I need more of something to finish this off. I will be back on Friday to say hello. Wish me Luck. Hee Hee
I found out these white stretchy plugs were hair follicles. I love pulling them out! I take photos of them too, but there's no facility here for posting photos of them.
Yah man. Lol This is the correct forum. Ha Ha. Both the triage nurse and the treating doctor say I must not remove the infected follicles. I think they suspect this is self caused. We here know different. A new doctor this time. He examined my wound. Says it is indeed folliculitis. Third doctor to diagnose this. They are smarter than I. He said I need to apply a hot compress. This will help to open the follicle and let it rupture. (Personally, I can't see how these solid plugs can liquefy but hey, I'm only college educated) So, I am trying not to remove the plugs. He also said not to apply any lotion to the wound. To let it dry as much as possible. The emergency doctor yesterday prescribed Novo-Lexin for seven days. Nothing he can do further for the pain. More Naproxen and Tylenol. Between you and I - I have removed a few plugs today - but only to relieve the pain. I am really encouraged by what I am seeing and feeling. My wound appears to be drying up. The doctor sent me over to my family doctor's office with a letter he wrote to TeleDerm. The nurse there took some pictures. She forwarded the pictures and letter to the specialists at TeleDerm (an Ontario thing I think- I still have to google this) My family doctor's nurse said I will hear back from the specialists within five to seven days. I have a feeling they know I have fallen through the cracks. I will be back here Monday. Have a great weekend everyone :-)
Some guy...Wow....a special consult! I'm definitely interested in the results....looking forward to your update. Just to clarify...it's just one lesion you're dealing with? Hope the weekend fares well healing.