Staph is a type of bacteria that lives harmlessly on the surface of your skin most commonly around your mouth, nose, your junk and your ass. When the bacteria enters your skin often through cuts or needles, you get a staph infection. Staph infections can lead to a huge variety of things, anywhere from a urinary tract infection or cellulitis to more serious things like when the bacteria gets into those important things like your heart and your nervous system.

Staph infections are easily spread among people who live in groups together, like in a squat, and are often spread through things like clothing and towels. Warmer weather and lots of sweating contribute to staph infections and be on the lookout in the summer when all those layers leave you dripping sweat.

Infections show up in the form of tiny pimple like things around the base of your hair follicles and have little white bumps on top like a pimple ready to be popped. They can also show up as boils, or swelling around your eye or outside of your eyelid, or as areas that are just red and swollen and warm feeling. Some infections can be treated easily with just antibacterial soap and ointment and keeping something clean around it. StaphAseptic is recommended most for treating staph infections because it kills almost all of the staph bacteria that is resistant to regular antibiotics such as a triple antibiotic. If your start feeling feverish or the infected area seems to be spreading, you should go to a clinic or see a doctor before things get really serious and the bacteria gets into your bloodstream and makes its way to your major organs.

If you get boils or skin lesions, you should try to refrain from draining it yourself and causing a more severe infection, if you have no other choice keep the entire operation sterile. What you want to do is put a warm compress on it, with some sort of towel or clean t-shirt where the wound is which is used to soak up whatever pus drains out of the wound.
My girl has had staph infections multiple times lead on by both IV drug use and getting tattoos. Her experience began with little red bumps on her arms, which she continually scratched at, and behind her knees which quickly spread across her entire body. After ignoring the issue for two weeks she ended up with cellulitis on her arms and stomach and was left feeling very sick and feverish. The first clinic she went to rejected her due to lack of money or insurance, and the next clinic the doctor gave her multiple tubes of antibiotic ointments to use on the infection. With repeated use of the ointment and gloves taped around her hands to prevent scratching, her infection cleared up within about a week.
The best way to prevent staph infections is to have good hygiene but since that�s not always so simple, just be sure to not share things like razor blades or needles, and try to wash your hands as often as possible. All I have to say is that if you end up with a staph infection, please please don�t scratch, pick, or peel at the scabs and bumps! It really isn�t worth that moment of relief verses an increased spread of these damn things. My advice would be to get your butt up and to a clinic as soon as possible. It is transferable to other people so don�t be a jerk and pass it on.



Places that will help you if you have a staph infection or think you have one are listed below.

Glide Health Clinic
330 Ellis St Room 403
Between Taylor and Jones
415-674-6140
Must Be 18 or over

Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic
558 Clayton Street
At Haight
415-487-5632
Only the uninsured and people with MediCal

San Francisco Free Clinic
4900 California Street
At 11th Ave
415-750-9894
Only the uninsured

St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic
105-107 Golden Gate Ave
At Jones
415-241-8320
Free to uninsured SF residents

Tom Waddell Health Center
50 Lech Walesa (Ivy) Street
415-355-7400

South of Market Health Center
551 Minna St
Between Mission and Howard at 6th
415-626-2951