What is this infection?

[Puzzle]

My friend has a drink problem and when he is drinking he chain smokes as well. Sometimes he runs out of money and picks up cigarette stubs off the pavement and rolls the tabacco in fresh papers. He has picked up an infection around his mouth. He won't go to the doctor, I have tried so many things to get this cleared up but nothing works. Does anyone know what it could be so that I can get the right ointment?

[daffy654]

It could be impetigo
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/impe tigo.htm

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=impe tigo%20more%3Acondition_symptoms&cx=disease_fo r_patients&resnum=0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

[sara3]

it could be Herpes Simplex.

[sqad617]

I agree with daffy and sara, but if he is a chronic alcoholic and heavy smoker, I wonder if his lip lesions may be due to a nutritional disorder, or pehaps worse. He needs a diagnosis making by a GP.
As a rank outsider......how does HIV grab you?

[daffy654]

Could even be mouth cancer if he is a heavy drinker and smoker..............not very likely but possible as another rank outsider.

[Puzzle]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I actually found something today that seems to help called Daktarin. Its for fungal and bacterial infections of the mouth..that should surely work...but I still don't know what the infection is called. Impetigo has spots and a rash and this infection is almost invisible, so I don't think it is that. Though it could have been a strong possibility. I don't think its herpes and hopefully its not HIV.

[DaisyMae]

I thought Daktarin was for athlete's foot.

[Puzzle]

I think it is but this is an 'oral' gel.

[Prudentia]

to be frank you need to see a doctor pronto, delay in diagnosis could prove fatal, you should never pick anything up out of the street and put it in your mouth, not even a discarded polo mint.

[jen78]

When you say almost invisible, can you describe it in more detail? Is in inside or outside the mouth or both and what are the symptoms?

He should definitely go to a doctor as without a diagnosis he is clutching at straws as to a treatment and could make it worse.

Doctors can be very good at spotting signals so they may be able to help guide him in the right direction as to the drinking and smoking or at least give him the know-how that help is out there is he wants it.

It could be something like gingivitis, especially with him being a smoker and picking things up off the street and possibly coupled with poor dental hygiene.

One idea would be to use a good antibacterial mouthwash in addition to the usual toothpaste along with flossing to remove anything nasty from in there.

He should take care though if he has sore or delicate bits in his mouth and a trip to a dental hygienist for a proper clean and check up may be a good idea.

Oral thrush is also possible as is a general infection.

Get him to see his GP and, if he is looking for any help in the meantime, an honest chat with a trained pharmacist in a chemists.

[Puzzle]

That all sounds very helpful, thank you.