Is yellow discharge in acne a sign of infection?

Question

Hello doctor,

I had a pimple that burst. There was a yellow discharge for a few hours but it soon dried out forming a yellow layer around the pimple. Now this yellow layer fell off today, but I can see a thick black layer and no discharge.

I do not have any pain in the area. Is this a concern? I have had chickenpox as well for the past three days. I am currently taking Acivir 400.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

I have gone through your history and reviewed the attached photograph (attachment removed to protect patient identity).

You have developed pyoderma, which is a bacterial infection of the skin.

I suggest you do the following:

Apply topical antibiotics like Mupirocin on this area twice daily and
Take a short course of Cefixime (Cephalosporin) 200 mg twice daily for five days.
Continue with Acivir (synthetic nucleoside analog) tablets for chickenpox.

The probable causes include bacterial infection. The differential diagnosis is secondary infection in varicella. The probable diagnosis is pyoderma.

Do follow up after five days.

Kindly consult a specialist doctor, discuss with them, and take medications with their consent.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern.

I have seen the attached photograph (the attachment was removed to protect the patient's identity). It still looks infected. Yes, you can start the treatment from tomorrow.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.