A woman who caught covid while taking prescription medication to treat her acne has shared the horror effect the virus had on her skin.
US woman Avery explained in a TikTok video that her acne treatment contains a high dose of vitamin A, called isotretinoin, used to close the skin’s sebaceous glands.
It’s common for it to cause dry, flaky skin – and in Avery’s case she said it caused her lips to have a “tonne of cracks in them”.
But when she caught covid recently, she never expected the virus – which affects the body’s respiratory tract – to have a horror effect on her already chapped lips, developing yellow blisters and a thick crust.
Doctors diagnosed Avery with impetigo, a skin infection caused by Streptococcus bacteria, and sent her home with medicine to apply to the area – but it only worsened.
When her lips turned black and started to weep, Avery rushed to the emergency room, sharing a video from her car where she was slurring her words with pain.
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“It’s called mucormycosis and it happened because I had the cracks in my lips,” she explained in a follow up TikTok video.
“It’s covid that manifested in my mouth because of my cracked lips, so be careful, because it’s disgusting.”
Normally, mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection that can be deadly, but due to the Covid-19 crisis has seen a spike most notably in virus-ravaged India.
The black fungus can affect sinuses, brain and lungs and in extreme cases, cause blindness. It can be life-threatening for patients who are immunocompromised.
Doctors believe the rise in infections may be caused by patients who have been treated with steroids, which is common for severely ill covid patients.
In India, the overstrained health system has led to a high mortality rate, but in Avery’s case her trip to the emergency department – where she was given morphine for the pain – came before her condition worsened.
How did covid ‘manifest’ in her mouth?
A US study published in February described the fungal disease in covid patients as “uncommon” but “opportunistic”.
Marie Cocciolone, founder of O Cosmedics and former skin therapist, said prescription acne treatments containing isotretinoin are known for drying out the skin, eyes, lips and nasal tissue.
“Depending on the patient, they may suffer mild to severe flakiness, redness, cracked lips, dry eyes, blurry vision and nose bleeds,” he said.
“Sadly, it has also been linked with suicide.”
It’s often seen as a “final resort” for skin experts with Ms Cocciolone explaining that even though it clears up problematic breakouts and acne, the adverse effects are concerning.
She also explained that a respiratory illness like covid could exacerbate the skin treatment’s side effects.
“Not unlike the common cold or flu as a patient gets sicker, the lips tend to get drier, which could lead to them cracking and bleeding if they weren’t already due to the medication,” she said.
In her video, Avery explained the common side effects she experienced from her acne treatment as well as having a low immune system from catching covid turned out to be the ideal conditions for the fungus to strike.
“When I got sick with the second covid [Delta variant] I got strep, a sinus infection, an ear infection, literally the whole works. It was terrible, I was dying for a while,” she said.
“Then I noticed by lips were starting to get bad.”
Thankfully, Avery appears to have a good spirits about her horror covid ordeal, joking she scares herself when she sees her reflection and asking for Netflix recommendations as she won’t be leaving the house.
Many sympathised with Avery’s condition, saying it looked “painful” and they wished her a “speedy recovery”.
“You poor thing, you got hit hard,” one said.
“Hope you get better soon, I was so worried when I saw it,” another commented.
“I’m so sorry you’re dealing with that. It looks painful and just awful,” someone else wrote.
While one wrote: “Dang, you have more lives than a cat. Glad you’re getting better, that looks so painful.”
Others expressed their shock, noting they hadn’t realised covid could react with wounds on the skin, prompting some to share their own covid experiences.
“It gave me such a bad rash on my face,” one said.
“A friend of mine almost died because of this. It started like yours and got way worse,” another reacted.
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