My husband keeps getting these sores that are very painful & are like boils; or cellulitis; he is a roofer & it seems to happen more when they use wood shingles. He has gotten them mostly on his arms & 2 times on the chest... anyone know why, what they are from, & how to keep them from coming back?
P.S. please don't say go to the doctors we did that & yes he took all the pills as the doc. Said

Their is a medicine called Boil eaze that comes in a tube like toothpast you can buy it at any drug store buy some .It does help, my brother -in - law uses it when he gets them. And they do go away in a couple of days.

Hi,
I won't say go back to the same doctor, but I do suggest getting another opinion from a different doctor, or even a Dermotologist. This could be an allergy, or it could be an imbalance in the body's chemistry. Possibly some bood work, analyses, by another doctor, might determine the causes.
I am not a Doctor, nor a professional in this area... just a 64 yrs old male, who knows that not every single Doctor will also know the answers. Get another opinion! Best of luck.

I am not a medical professional.

I agree that this might be an allergic reaction. I had a smaller hive-like rash develop on my arms and legs a few years ago. Used to be a chemist and I'm pretty sure over time that I was sensitized to a few chemicals. The one that I believe brought on the skin reaction was a very volatile solvent that could easily be breathed in or reach the skin through clothing if not working in a perfectly vented environment.

The skin rash never came back like that, but I also took extra precautions with that chemical later on. Threre were other subtle cues that also made me think of that solvent being the issue. The MD only knew it was likely an allergic reaction.

I really cannot tell you about what in the roofing materials might be causing a problem. And while you are frustrated, many times the etiology of such a reaction is very hard to pinpoint. Sometimes you go through a lot of "what it isnt" before you can find the culprit. And sometimes you might not ever quite find it when it is something that doesn't happen often.

As stated, going to a dermatologist might be a good place to start. At least they can better assess the situation and come up with a plan to try to solve it. Chasing ghosts is never fun medically.

If they are like "boils" or giant pimples, then the oral antibiotic the doctor gave you is correct. We all have a certain amount of bacteria on our skin surface that is "normal" but when we get a break in our skin surface (cuts, scrapes, splinters, etc) then the bacteria gets under the skin and causes the breakout.

It sounds like your husband may be getting bacteria in his sweat glands which would then swell like a boil, or possibly getting tiny cuts in his arms which then get infected.

Does he always wear a long sleeved shirt? And use the antimicrobial soaps when washing his hands/arms?

Boils put me in the hospital.I suggest you take this seriously. My daughter throughout her whole childhood would get them under her arms. I just put ointment on them. Then at one point I developed one on the side of my face and a month later I was keeled over and couldn't walk. When I got to the hospital I learned my kidneys were shutting down because I had MARSA. I had never heard of it... I was in isolation for 2 months. On I.V. For 2 months. Come to find out boils is one of the signs. Its like a stat infection you get in a hospital. Shorty after I got out of the hospital my daughter got another but since I was treated for this disease my daughter hasn't had one since. All these years I was a carrier that's why she kept getting them. When you get a boil I suggest you go to your doctor and have them test the liquid. It's the only way to test for MRSA without having all the high tech test done that I had to take. If you have any open womb keep them clean at all time. Dirty soars are also what can develop this illness. Please take this seriously. It almost killed me.