Hello everyone,

I am new on here but I've been having a serious skin condition that is affecting my quality of life and confidence. This actually started a long time ago and I kept getting red bumps and pimples on my stomach area, right underneath my belly button. I didn't think too much of it and thought it was just acne.

However, 4 months ago, I started getting these red, itchy, painful bumps all around my body. This started to spread to my shoulders, chest, neck, back, and my butt. These were red in color and after a while, they would go away but leave a dark red hyperpigmentation of the skin. While this was occurring, I also started having itching all around my body - including my face, hair, hands, legs, butt etc. It was like a prickling sensation that would last 10-15 seconds and then stop and then start on another part of the body.

I went to the dermatologist who did a biopsy and mentioned that there is chronic inflammation. He gave me a topical product to try at first which did not help. Then, he gave me antibiotics to take twice daily (I'm taking Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim). I took the medication for a month and that semed to help a little.

I stopped taking the antibiotics for a couple of weeks and shaved my chest/back/butt area with an electric razor and as soon as I did that, the bumps/itching have continued. Thus, I started taking the medication again.

Recently, I also started feeling pain in my knees and right elbow but not just the joints. The pain is more in the muscles surrounding the joints also. I was hoping this wasn't psoriatic arthritis. I talked to a pharmacist who said it might be a side effect of the antibiotic I'm taking and told me to stop taking it.

As soon as I stopped taking it, I got bumps in my underarms and a huge, really painful one on my butt cheek.

I really don't know what it is. The dermatologist diagnosed this as folliculitis but could it be hidradentis suppurativa or psoriasis?

Please advise on what I should do. Is there any one out there with experience with something like this? Should I wash my body with antibacterial soap? Continue antibiotics? How do I get rid of the hyperpigmentation? Should I stop shaving my body?

Another FYI. I also had a pilonidal cyst surgically removed 2 years ago. Is all of this somehow connected? How can I stop this? Please help...this is really frustrating

I am so sorry for the trouble you are having it must be horrible. The first thing I would suggest you do is make a note of everything that you try e.g. stopping the meds and what happens then and then shaving and what happens when you do that. etc etc. This will give the specialist a better idea of what is going on. Since you have had a biopsy it would seem that the dermatologist is taking this seriously. You need to go back and put your concerns to him, ask the questions that you are asking here and if he does not have an answer then change for someone who does! He should at least be able to tell you why he thinks it could not be psoriasis or any other condition to give you something to work from.