What Does Staph Infection Look Like?: Spotting The Look-Alikes
It is quite a hard job for most people to spot the symptoms of staph skin infection, what more to know what does a staph infection look like. This is because infections from the Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria have a sneaky way of looking like some other skin problem. This can be a good thing if you want to pass off a boil as a pimple to lessen humiliation. But nipping the symptoms of staph skin infection in the bud requires getting the right diagnosis for the right medication. If not, your staph infections can worsen and even kill you.
The name “Staphylococcus” is derived from the Greek words “staphyle” and “kokkos” which mean “a bunch of grapes” and “berries” respectively – these are exactly what staph bacteria look like under a microscope. While the term “aureus” likens these generally harmless bacteria to the sun, primarily because of their golden color.
But when the skin breaks or is punctured these good bacteria turn bad. They enter the wound, causing the skin to break out with tiny, swollen, red bumps that are filled with pus – certainly not a good sight. But it usually takes awhile for most people to realize that they are having a staph infection rash or a genital staph infection until it nearly costs them an arm or leg.
What does staph infection look like – or rather – what do most people mistake a staph infection for?
Pimples or acne. People usually mistake most staph infections as just plain pimple break outs. This may be because they do look alike - from the bumps to the usual redness. However, staph infections – boils in particular – are more than just bumps, they contain pus, a combination of bacteria and white blood cells that ooze out as a pungent, yellowish liquid.
Staph infections are also highly contagious especially to people with weak immune systems and open wounds, as well to people who stay together in one place – like in schools, hospitals or a house. While pimples, well, they're very much your own.
Spider bites. What does staph infection look like the most? Doctors would have to say: spider bites. In fact, even doctors are fooled. It is quite easy to dismiss a staph infection as a spider bite since like this insect's bite, staph infection shows up as a large, raised area on the skin with a white-head that indicates pus. This bump can grow large in size, becomes really red and is extremely painful.
Rashes. A staph infection rash is almost like an ordinary rash: red, itchy and a little flaky. This staph infection is commonly known as cellulitis, an infection of the tissue layers. Meaning, the staph bacteria have gone beyond the upper layers of the skin and are doing extensive damage on the inner tissues. Regular rashes can go off without antibiotics, but cellulitis needs responsible medications of antibiotics to avoid the bacteria from getting into the bloodstream and to the different vital organs of the body.
Herpes. Genital staph infection either with folliculitis or boils, can be caused by improper shaving or improper cleaning of the genitals. But oftentimes,we mistake the blisters that appear on the genitals as herpes, just because they're down there and not somewhere else.
So what does staph infection look like? Probably like those mentioned above, but we must not make their likeness as an excuse for misdiagnosis. As soon as any bump, rash or flake appears, treatment must be immediately applied to prevent more infections - no matter the cause.