Dr. Bruce Dezube I have been HIV+ that I know of for eight years. Within the past year and a half I have started getting pimples, acne blemishes on my forehead and nick. I've ask my doctor about them and he tells me that it apart of the disease and that he did know of anything that would how make them go away. He has had me on prednisone which helped for a short time. There are times to where they make me feel as if my face is burning, like from a sun burn. The meds that I am now take are Agenerase, Sulfamethoxale, Zithromax, Diflucan, Zerit, and Trizivir. I guess my question to you is: Do you know of anything that might get they to go away or help with burning.

Acne is quite common in HIV disease. I personally give my patients a month of Cefadroxil one tablet daily, which is often extremely effective. I'm not sure about the prednisone. Prednisone can actually cause acne. Did your doctor perhaps think your rash was due to an allergy? Also please be aware that some medicines can make your skin more sensitive to the sun (this is called phototoxicity). You are on sulfamethoxazole which can cause such phototoxicity. This can be a particular problem if you live/travel in warm climates. At this point, if your skin looks like acne, I would suggest Cefadroxil, or a similar drug. (Before you take any new drug, it is always important to let your health provider know what you are allergic to). Let me know if the acne situation persists. At some point, you may need to see a dermatologist.