Have you ever wondered what the symptoms of a staph infection on your skin are? Can staph infection itch? What does staph infection look like? If I feel itchy from a staph infection can I choose natural products to treat it? What if my doctor doesn’t want to test my itchy skin for staph? I’m answering all these questions and more in this article!
I have come to discover that a lot of people really don't know what the symptoms are which can lead to delay in seeking help from your doctor.
Recently, I asked my Instagram community if they knew what to look for if you're having a flare and it might be staph.
I was surprised to discover that 98% wanted me to talk more about staph infections and weren't clear on what the symptoms are. In fact, many were even surprised to hear that staph infection can be itchy.
And I've found this issue with clients who desperately manage a flare. But because they don't know the symptoms of a staph infection on the skin, they don't even consider it as an option. They don’t necessarily realize that staph infections can itch.
Failure to identify a staph infection can lead to a potentially unnecessary period of suffering.
That's why I decided to share what you should look out for… because yes, staph infections can be itchy. Very, very itchy.
Because I'm not a doctor, this is certainly not intended to help you self-diagnose a staph infection. It's my hope that it will help you know when to see your doctor rather than trying to just deal with the itch and symptoms on your own. Or assuming that you’re just “going through a flare” when in reality it’s a staph skin infection.
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In this episode:
- Client story about an itchy staph infection
- Can staph infection itch?
- Is it worth it to blend alternative and conventional approaches for a staph infection itch?
- 98% of my audience didn't know the symptoms of a skin staph infection. Most even asked, “does staph itch?”
- Signs of a Staph infection you need to be aware of (itch isn’t the only sign!)
- Are Staph infections only a concern for people with eczema
Quotes:
Staph infections can happen to anyone and that means that they are not an eczema-specific problem! I've worked with psoriasis clients who are struggling with staph as well.
Burning skin and a deep, awful itch are two key symptoms during a flare that could spell the difference between a rash flare and a staph infection.
Signs Of A Staph Infection On Your Skin [FULL TRANSCRIPT]
Welcome back to episode #107 of the Healthy Skin Show!
In today's episode, I want to share with you some symptoms of a potential staph infection on your skin. And answer the question, “can staph infection itch?”
It's important that I preface this conversation with the fact that I am not a doctor nor a medical practitioner. Because I've worked in a medical practice directly with my dad's patients and within my own clinical nutrition practice, I am reasonably knowledgable about when to direct someone to go see their doctor.
In addition to my experience, I spent some time online doing some research on medical-based websites to come up with a list for you.
At some point, I hope to have a doctor come on the show and talk more in-depth about staph infections and how to determine if the itchiness you’re experiencing is from a staph infection.
For now, this list can give you some clues as to when you need to really go seek help instead of trying a bunch of different natural remedies that aren't helpful because it's really staph that's the issue.
When you have an itchy staph infection on your skin, it's important to seek medical attention instead of just trying to manage on your own. Going on to Facebook, for example, and asking strangers for help when really you need the help of your doctor.
Can Staph Infection Itch? Sara's Eczema Flare That Was Actually Staph
Before just handing you a list of symptoms, I want to tell you a story about one of my clients.
We'll call her Sara (that's obviously not her real name).
Sara and I had just started working together and were still in the fact-finding phase. She became incredibly uncomfortable dealing with a pretty intense, itchy eczema flare.
She was trying all the creams she had on hand because she figured it was just a flare and she could get through it on her own. Her first response wasn't to go see her doctor so she alerted me that she was experiencing incredible redness, a really intense itch and that the rash itself was burning.
It was so bad that she was having great difficulty sleeping at night. And of course, the lack of sleep was making her feel awful because day after day after day, she wasn't rested!
Plus the symptoms were driving her nuts.
“I've tried everything I can on my own, but I'm just so miserable. Do you have any suggestions?”
Based on Sara's complaints, I suggested that she see her dermatologist to check for staph and request a culture.
Her dermatologist didn't think it was staph, but Sarah advocated for herself and really pushed to have a culture done.
Finally, her dermatologist agreed. It came back positive for a skin infection of staph aureus.
Because of the staph infection, her doctor started her on antibiotics and she finally began to feel a heck of a lot better. All of her intense, itchy symptoms started to calm down so that she could sleep.
Does Staph Itch? Could Your Skin Rash Flare Be A Staph Infection?
Unfortunately, this story is not unique.
It's a pretty common occurrence in our community. Especially when you want to do everything naturally, you can end up suffering for a long time because a staph infection is driving the problem.
Seeing this happen over and over again made me wonder whether people really knew what the symptoms of a staph infection are.
Let's be honest… it's not like the symptoms of a staph infection are well-known.
Even Sara admitted that she hadn't even considered staph.
This prompted me to run a poll of my Instagram following and what I found really surprised me.
98% of my community was unsure of what the symptoms of a staph infection are and wanted more information!
That's why I thought this would be a great opportunity to share some helpful info so you know when you really need to go back to the doctor and ask for help instead of trying to manage everything yourself.
At the end of the day, staph is no joke. You really need to seek help from your doctor.
Do Staph Infections Itch? Symptoms Of A Staph Infection On Your Skin
Based on my research, I put together a list of staph infection symptoms that I'm going to share.
Again, I want to reiterate that I'm not a doctor and this list is not intended to diagnose you.
It's intended to educate you so that you know when to seek medical attention for an itchy staph infection rather than trying remedy after remedy without any success. Especially if you've got wounds or cuts in the skin that could potentially allow the staph access to your bloodstream.
And let's not forget about MRSA — antibiotic-resistant staph! It's possible to get MRSA which should not be let go.
In other words, staph infection isn't just some itchy inconvenience. It's a serious infection that can have serious consequences.
Staph Infection: Itchy + What else To Look For On Your Skin
Here is a potential list of symptoms of a staph infection on your skin:
- any oozing or weeping, especially if the liquid is like whitish or yellowish in color
- boils, abscesses or little blisters, redness, swelling, tenderness or painfulness
- wrinkling or peeling skin that also burns
- burning
- crazy, crazy intense itching
Since some people struggle with recurrent itchy staph infections, I discussed this with Dr. Peter Lio HERE.
Does Staph Infection Itch?
Does staph infection itch? Yes! This type of itching you might experience with a staph infection is the type that may keep you up at night preventing you from getting sleep. You might feel like the itchiness is even deeper than your skin. And it can make you feel like you're going nuts!
So if you feel like you're experiencing a number of these, I would recommend that you:
- Get clear on your symptoms and write out a list.
- Call your doctor and get in ASAP. If you can't see your dermatologist right away, call your family doctor.
- Request a culture of the rash.
It’s crucial to know that a culture done in the past cannot help recognize a current problem, and neither can a biopsy done in the past help identify a current infection. Since your skin’s microbiome can change within a matter of days to a state of overgrowth or even to the level of an infection, current testing must be performed.
Here’s more information on the different types of testing your doctor can do for skin issues so you know what to ask for (and why!) to better advocate for yourself.
If you've been using topical steroids and they aren't helping, that could be another clue.
In this particular case, antibiotics are what is necessary. Topical steroids will not work.
Itchy Staph Infections And Natural Remedies
One other thought…
Staph infections can be extremely painful and itchy. And it can be tricky to try to use only natural options when your flare gets to this point where you're very miserable. Natural options don't often alleviate skin complaints as quickly as conventional medications.
I realize that at times you might feel frustrated because you haven't felt heard during appointments with your dermatologist and you want to look in other directions.
But that's why I often say “don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!”
Keep your expectations in check and an open mind about blending natural and conventional options. There can be tremendous power when you harness the power of both.
Do Staph Infections Only Happen To People With Eczema?
One final point that I think is very important to be made about staph infections.
No, staph infections on your skin aren't an ECZEMA-ONLY problem.
While one aspect of eczema can be an overgrowth of staph aureus in the skin's microbiome, other skin conditions can also end up with staph infections too.
I've worked with psoriasis clients who have also struggled with recurrent staph infections.
AND there are other bacterial organisms that can cause a skin infection besides Staph aureus that a culture can identify including Strep infections and Pseudomonas infections. You can also get fungal skin infections as well!
So even if you're dealing with some other type of skin diagnosis and you have these symptoms, go to your doctor. It's better to get checked so that if it is staph, you can get on the road to relief sooner rather than later.
Final Thoughts: Can Staph Infection Be Itchy?
Can staph infection be itchy? You bet. And it’s the type of itch that can keep you up at night and make you completely miserable. Staph infections and the itch they cause are no joke, and if you suspect you have one, you need to get to a doctor, pronto.
Especially since an infection can drastically impact your quality of life AND sometimes the symptoms could actually be another type of viral infection called eczema herpeticum which you can read about here.
If you've had a staph infection in the past, I would appreciate hearing about your experience!
What were your symptoms? How did you finally get diagnosed with a staph infection?
Leave your comments below so we can keep the conversation going.
And I ask that you share this episode with our community. If 98% of my Instagram community had no idea what clear symptoms of staph infections were, there's a very good chance that many others in our community do not know either.
We must help educate each other and share helpful information like this. That way you can ultimately get on the road sooner rather than later to rebuilding healthier skin.
Thank you so much for tuning in and I'll catch you in the next episode!
Itchy Staph Infections + How To Deal With Them
I've actually talked at length about staph infections on the skin during multiple podcast episodes.
Here are a few of my favorites that might help you when researching that itchy staph infection.
Staph infections and probiotics with Kiran Krishnan – Part 1
Staph infections and probiotics with Kiran Krishnan – Part 2
Staph Aureus with Dr. Julie Greenberg
What If It's Itchy, But It's Not Staph
I've helped thousands of people get to the bottom of the skin rash root cause and finally find relief from the constant itch and misery. Obviously, if you suspect you have staph, you need to see your doctor immediately.
But if you're still searching for answers about your root causes (and what could be playing a role in driving the inflammation on your skin), I have a free tool that just might help you.
Click here to download my “Stop My Rashes Now eGuide” — …so you can start identifying hidden triggers and imbalances that your doctor isn’t looking for AND start taking action based on the type of skin diagnosis you have.
This guide is completely free!
Download it here and start getting to the bottom of your itchy skin rash.
REFERENCES
https://www.medicinenet.com/staph_infection/article.htm
https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2018/may/staph-infections
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319561.php#symptoms-of-an-eczema-infection
So, I was diagnosed with sebhorrheic dermatitis in my nasolabial folds around my nose almost 3 years ago by a dermatologist. He recommended hydrocortisone and retin a. Neither resolved the crusty, red itching area. Before and after seeing him I tried triple antibiotic cream, athlete’s foot antifungal, hydrocortisone, hylauronic acid, topical vitamin E, topical C, topical aloe, moisterizers, coconut oil, tea tree oil, manuka honey, zinc cream, dandruff shampoo, candida cleanse capsules. Everything and anything. It continued, sometimes worse, occasionally a bit better, but always there. I went to my primary doctor. She prescribed Eucrisa, which stung and left me greasy and still did not knock this thing out. After another 6 months I went back and she prescribed a super-strong topical floridating steroid and told me not to take it more than a week. Towards the end of that week, it was better. I wept with joy until it came back with a vengeance a few days later. I saw her again and she recommended alternating with the strong and the Eucrisa. Another 6 months of itching, burning and redness. I found your info and tried the Mother Dirt healthy biome stuff. Expensive and no change. I finally get in to see another derm. She decided to actually run a swab — and sure enough, “an overgrowth of staph.” I am now on oral antibiotics. Hopefully this will do the trick.
I had staph on my skin and didn’t want to use western med treatment. A friend recommended Spencer’s Gel and that cured it. This article is a good reminder. I would love to hear more on how to differentiate eczema vs. staph, because eczema can also burn and itch too.
About a year ago, my 10 year old daughter started to get scaly patches on her scalp that were either sebhorreic dermatitis or psoriasis (she had struggled most of her life with eczema, but never on her scalp). Over a course of a few months it got worse and worse, to where her whole head was covered with peeling skin, and soon she started to have pretty significant hair loss as well. As a young girl, this was pretty traumatic for her (and her mother!). While we were going the natural route and trying to attack all sorts of mold/fungal/yeast stuff going on internally, I also took her to a couple dermatologists to see if we could get her scalp under control because it was horribly itchy and keeping her up at night, as well as causing so much stress.
The first derm we went to basically told me everything natural I was doing was a waste of my money, and that she obviously needed to be on immunosuppressants and this super high-dose steroid, and she would deal with this for the rest of her life. It was awful, and I didn’t do any of the above, and tried to continue dealing with it at home. I just refused to believe that all that hair loss was from the scales, because even when she wasn’t as scaly, the hairfall just kept happening. I wasn’t very successful but was at such a loss as to what to do or where to go, and it had been going on for 6 months at this point (with the hair loss happening for about 4 of those).
Meanwhile, my husband found a local derm who specialized in hair loss. Despite my reservations about seeing another dermatologist, he was very open minded, and thought it was likely fungal (which means steroids would only feed the fungus!). He did a culture, and it came back with an overabundance of staph on her head (no fungus at all, actually). He said that yes, in this instance, that was what had been causing all of her hair loss. Because of the higher presence of staph on her skin to begin with, at some point she itched her scalp when it had fist begun to peel and flake, and an infection had started. It spread slowly because of all that we were already doing (prescription shampoo, colloidal silver, etc), but had continued to spread. I didn’t really want to do oral antibiotics because of all the work we had done on healing her gut, and so he gave me a compounded topical solution that was anti-staph, and also had her shampoo with hibiclens, as well as a psoriasis shampoo to loosen the flakes. She had already started an anti-fungal prescription from when he thought it was fungal, so she stayed on that as well. Within a week of all this, her hair loss stopped, for the first time in 5 months. We went back a month later for another culture, and there was no sign of staph at all. About 1-2 months after that, all her hair began to grow back in, and her scalp pretty much cleared up. I have never been more thankful for bad hair days, because it meant my sweet girl was getting her hair back – by the time we found the staph infection, she had lost over half her hair.
Thinking back, it makes me so angry that the first derm didn’t even consider this to be an option at all, and wanted to put her on something that would have only worsened her already struggling body. She challenged and belittled me so much as a mother, that I became gunshy to go to another dermatologist (this was after many years of horrible dermatologist visits). I am so so thankful for the one who finally took the time to really consider what could be going on, instead of just writing her off with more steroids. Even he was surprised at what the culture came back with, as he was confident it was fungal of some sort. And I now know way more about staph than I ever though I would, and am very aware and always watching for signs. Thank you for this episode!
Thanks for this episode Jenifer – I have been trying to figure out a skin issue that I have and was worried it could be staph. With the information you provided here I was able to determine that it is highly unlikely, whew!
thanks for this podcast. i have had psoriasis in the past, even pretty badly, but it is now mainly under control (through diet – no nightshades especially important – if i’m not careful, i can get an outbreak). i also used to have flares of little itchy oozy red spots/patches;blisters under my nose that would spread, which had been diagnosed in different ways by my primary care physicians (group practice), and various creams applied, including steroids, but eventually, a skin culture was done by a dermatologist, and it turned out to be staph! finally got proper treatment for it with antibiotics. whew. interestingly, since then, i found out about mother dirt products (through you? can’t recall) and have not had any outbreak since.
Yes! I’ve talked about Mother Dirt products before. They can be helpful to maintain a healthy skin microbiome (once it’s in a better balance — not if you’re in the middle of a flare)! I appreciate you sharing this because most people only think staph infections happen to people with eczema. I’ve worked with psoriasis clients who had ongoing staph infections on their skin, but didn’t realize what it was and didn’t know to tell the doctor until they told me about their symptoms. Staph is an issue we all need to take seriously and educate ourselves on.
Grandson is 15 months old and had staph infection in his face that went undiagnosed for months ! Took a pediatric dermatologist to get it right. Severe eczema on his face also .
His face is slowly clearing but it flares during teething .
Any suggestions?
Hi Jane, I don’t work with babies so that’s definitely not my wheelhouse. I do know from talking with my colleague Jennifer Brand, CNS who does work with kids and skin issues that often dysbiosis of the GI tract is pretty common in little ones. It may be worth pursuing since unfortunately staph aureus can overgrow in the gut as well.
In my perception, intense staph should be the first thing they check for. However, using antibiotics to treat it exacerbates the gut dysbiosis that makes you vulnerable to begin with. After 10 years of symptoms, and multiple trips to the dermatologist where I was ordered to undress completely for skin checks, I am stunned to consider how I was exposed to something as insidious and contagious as staph. A naturopath was by far more circumspect and never had me undress and was far more successful, though not enough to really eradicate the staph. It is so resistant that it morphs and comes back. Addressing the issue is crucial….it is at the root of everything I have been experiencing….biofilm please.
Hi, I am having a dilemma at the moment where I think I do have a skin staph infection on my right foot (as well as a boil on my buttock that is manageable). I have also had several staph sores in my nostrils over the years so I believe I’m a carrier. Anyway, my Doctor prescribed me broad spectrum antibiotics to treat the rash but I am hesitant to take them for all the reasons we know antibiotic use to be potentially harmful, as well as the fact that I don’t actually know if the rash is an infection because they won’t test it (have given me a script for a fungal culture but not for staph). My question is: do you have any recommendations for what I could try so I can avoid the antibiotics? I am worried if I take them it could develop a resistance. Thank you.
This was quite interesting… and I realize that I may have been experiencing this type of infection, thinking it was something else… TSW or a reaction to diet changes/detoxing. During the Covid-19 initial stages, I started to use the hand sanitizing gel, extensively, available in my workplace, together with rubbing alcohol spray at home and in my car… and over time noticed that the rash on my hands was getting better and it is currently pretty much gone.
Listening to the description of a staph infection, I may have had one as it kept creeping up my arms a bit further every now and then and seemed to be reactive to sweets.
I continue to eat a relatively clean diet and acknowledge that there are other areas that are a concern as well… that is another story… Thanks for you podcasts and the expanse of info you share.
Wow- a lot of disappointing stories about bad dermatologist visits! Saddened and relieved that I’m not the only one… My story is similar to many echoed here. An itchy crusty patch appeared on the back of my scalp. I attempted to deal with it for about a month on my own, tea tree oil, zinc cream, clarifying shampoos, sulfur-based cream, etc. I finally (reluctantly) made an appointment with a dermatologist, who diagnosed it as seborrheic dermatitis without so much as a glance and prescribed ketoconazole shampoo (an anti-fungal) as well as a fluocinolone acetonide topical solution. I used the prescriptions religiously for two weeks without results. In fact, my condition worsened rapidly. As the swelling and itching spread down my neck to my shoulders and elbows, and after a failed attempt to make a re-visit appointment with the derm, miserable, and fed up, I went to the urgent care where they took a swab and sympathetically prescribed me steroids for the swelling and hydroxyzine for the itching. Four days later, I get a call back: it’s staph. Who knew. Obviously not the dermatologist (that I will not be seeing again). Here’s to hoping the antibiotics clear this up and I won’t have to deal with this ever again! Miraculously, my partner in a shared tiny apartment has survived unscathed. Good luck to anyone struggling with this or any other skin condition. And take it from me, don’t be afraid to cancel a lazy doctor.
Hi Nicole, Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m so sorry that you went through this… you’re definitely not alone! A staph infection as you know is no joke and I hope that you get relief from the antibiotics!
Wow, this is very informative. Thank you for sharing. I’ll be making appointments with my doctor as well as my children’s doctor to test for this. At a young age, my son would get frequent red bumps on his buttocks and I just thought he kept getting hand, foot, and mouth. He didn’t get any sores on hands, feet or mouth but only on his buttocks. He still gets them to this Fay and occasionally passes it on to me and my daughter. I’m thinking this could be staph and I might be a carrier because my daughter also has severe food allergies, itchy scalp…
Well, I have had so far quite a different experience with it. I first had skin staph diagnosed 2 years ago, received antibiotics both oral and topical. Oral did nothing for me! I have a bad history with antibiotics since being prescribed them in childhood too many times anyway. So… After 2 weeks of that it hadn’t disappeared completely. But after 3 changes of antibiotic creams we finally got to one that managed to eradicate it. I also used a whole range of natural things, mostly manuka honey (both internally and topically) – it semeed to work well for a bit; Thieves essential oil was also helpful but it stung a lot! I would agree with sb above though – oral antibiotics should be the last resort, not the first line of treatment, as they may end up not working anyway… The second time I had it, in a much smaller way, I used the same cream that helped me previously and also prebiotic creams for the rest of my body, in a hope to prevent the spread. I don’t know if that was the reason it didn’t spread, but definitely didn’t hurt 😉 also clean diet can help a lot.
Unfortunately most of the clients I talk to are pretty deep into a serious infection so trying creams and other things is not really an option. There are certainly other things out there that can help control staph, but once staph gets to a certain point, it’s best to seek medical attention and go with something that tends towards being faster-acting (especially to avoid a serious blood infection and hospitalization). As an aside, essential oils shouldn’t be applied undiluted directly to skin (I just want to make that clear for readers as I’ve no clue how you used them)… and another challenge is that if there are open wounds, you risk sensitizing your skin to those plant substances and developing serious allergic reactions.
I totally understand where you are coming from though… but everyone’s history and case are different which underscores the importance of addressing our bodies based on their unique picture. What works for some may not work for others. I’ve heard stories of people who didn’t want to get help and assumed that a severe staph infection was actually TSW (topical steroid withdrawal) and consequently suffered for 1+ years unnecessarily when it was actually staph. I want to make sure that people know the symptoms and get help when appropriate so they don’t end up in a situation that is really serious.
I appreciate you addressing this! It prompted me to get swabbed (pod for staph) and yes the intensely red oozy itchy mess of my hands got better with 3 wk on Bactrim. Still red and itchy but I do believe my year of TSW is on the home stretch and full healing is in sight.
So happy I found this article.
I’m currently dealing with a staph infection on my lips and I feel the skin on my body burning here and there. I also have a red spot in the back of my head going down my neck. I did a culture from my lips 1 week ago and it showed that theres a staph aureus mssa (not mrsa) stasensible to ciprofloxacin.
My doctor prescribed me oral antibiotic ciprinol for 7 days but I was afraid to take it.
After reading this I’m convinced I should start taking it. I’m dealing with this for more than 2 months now.
I’m using manuka honey, both oral and topical and I ser some small improvements but nothing dramatic.
However I know that my skin barrier is damaged because I used to sit in the sun too much in the last 2 pandemic years…maybe this is a reason as well.
I hope antibiotic will help.
Could you please write an article about some natural treatments that we can do in parallel with antibiotic therapy?
Sorry for any tipping mistakes, English is not my native language.
Thank you!
Hi Raluca, That may have been discussed in this episode: https://www.skinterrupt.com/how-staph-aureus-wrecks-your-skin/