### instruction:
If you are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description.

### input:
5 weeks ago my boyfriend passed a skin infection from his face to mine. We thought it could be impetigo but we treated it with antibiotic cream ourselves and it went. a week or so later, it came back! whenever I get a spot and I squeeze it the itchy scab appears and then spreads to other areas of my face. I wonder if you have any ideas as to what it could be because it has returned again.

### output:

Hello. I'm sorry you and your boyfriend are having problems. You're undoubtedly already aware that impetigo is a superficial infection of the skin, most commonly due to Streptococcus or Staphylococcus. Over-the-counter antibiotic creams are often effective, but many of the organisms responsible for impetigo have developed partial or complete resistance to these preparations. Therefore, you might see partial or temporary clearing of your skin after using an antibiotic cream, only to have the infection recur within a few days to weeks when resistant organisms begin multiplying in your skin. I would suggest that either your or your boyfriend (or both) see your physician to confirm that you're really dealing with a bacterial infection and, more importantly, to characterize the organism that's causing this problem. (This can be done with a culture of one of the infected areas on your face.) You'll probably need an oral antibiotic to get this situation under control. Keep in mind that if you've been colonized with methicillin-resistant staph, this problem could recur from time to time in the future; antibiotic treatment will typically quiet MRSA infections down, but it usually isn't possible to completely eradicate these organisms. I hope that helps, and good luck to you!