Impetigo on the Attack
In recent months, the weather has been brutish to Tellïo in terms of skin health. To be more precise, his lips. Tellïo has mentioned a few times in the past few script posts how he's dealt with chapped, dried, peeling, and swollen lips. It's been more than 6 months and the symptoms come and leave. Tellïo noticed a pattern. When he stays a long time in Saint Louis, the symptoms recur and get increasingly severe. Yet when he's on holiday or on a work trip, the symptoms suddenly subside. The places Tello visited within the 6 month included Chicago, Jacksonville, Tampa, NYC, Philadelphia, Delaware, Japan and South Korea. One key factor these areas share is that they are surrounded by water.
This is not Tellïo first experience dealing with dryness and skin problems in a landlocked region. His time in Dallas, Texas was similar but not of the magnitude. Tellïo hypothesizes that low dew points and inconsistent humidity are causing his skin problems. While living in the tri-state, Ireland, or Caracas, he did not experience these problems. A month ago, Tellïo could no longer tolerate the discomfort, bleeding and yellow crust that formed on his lips when he woke up the next day. He decided to go to urgent care first to get an evaluation and follow up with his naturopathic doctor. Prior to the visit to urgent care, Tellïo took photos of his crusty ass lips to show evidence.
Upon arriving at urgent care, they sidelined Tellïo ASAP. He was treated as if he had COVID or an STI. Tellïo emphasized to the nurses the large assortment of lip care products he'd purchased in the last 3 months. He rotates between 4 products throughout the day to keep his lips moist. Also, explain the patterns he's witnessed in Saint Louis compared to all other cities he's recently visited. When the physician entered the room, she said, "You are infected with Impetigo. Kids typically contract this type of infection." Impetigo consists of bacteria that naturally occur on the human body but when the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (staph) or Group A streptococcus (strep) overpopulate in areas in the body where it shouldn't be at a surplus, it will wreak havoc. Tellïo's situation is an excellent example of that. Tellïo was disappointed and confused about how he got infected with impetigo. He had asked the doctor multiple times what might have caused this. Her initial response was due to your skin's dryness. You probably had a cut that was open and staph and/or strep penetrated and colonized. Hence, the aftermath = the symptoms. Later, she continued to say that it happened spontaneously sometimes.
Tellïo asked how to prevent this from happening again. When the doctor inquired about where Tellïo grew up (NY State). She made the connection about moisture, humidity, and living around water playing a role on Tellïo current issues whilst living in Saint Louis. The following was advised:
Increase fluid intake (also focus on electrolytes)
Carry Vaseline
Get plenty of rest
Take prescriptions as directed (antibiotic ointment - apply to lips 2X a day for 3 weeks & tablet 2X a day for 10 days)
Possibly look into relocating somewhere surrounded by water
To get a holistic perspective Tellïo visited a Naturopathic doctor (Dr. JS). She was shocked and explained her own battle with dryness, allergies and skin issues since relocating to the Midwest. She recommended the following:
Purchase a humidifier
Drink Poppi (prebiotic soda) during the antibiotic treatment window
Include zinc, & vitamin E supplements into your hygiene routine
Increase fluid intake
Keep lips and skin moisturized.
Look to relocate where the dew point and humidity are stable and higher
As a result of those two visits, Tellïo lips have fully recovered and are now normal. He drinks fluids and avoids unnecessary sweating. These days, he keeps vaseline in his lunch bag and pockets. In addition, the humidifier is constantly running. Until he leave Saint Louis, Tellïo will keep his lips fully moisturized so that he won't experience an unattractive phase like this again. In addition, Tellïo threw out his Klean Kanteen bottle (Good Brand) since he used it while infected. He washed it but noticed a white film around the mouthpiece. From his past experiences and microbiology studies, a white film is usually associated with bacterial build-up. He canned the bottle and now uses stainless steel containers to drink his fluids. This has made a huge difference.
But overall, this experience proved that not all places are suitable for everyone. Also, a person can get sick without a true reason, but general prevention is a key method to reduce the chances of getting ill. When dryness occurs, moisturize your skin. As always, Stay Strong & Stay Vivid!
Reference
Nardi NM, Schaefer TJ. Impetigo. [Updated 2023 Jul 31]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430974/.