MRSA pimples are usually more painful than acne pimples. MRSA pimples are often surrounded by areas of inflammation, redness, and warmth. The outbreak of MRSA pimples is often...

Large, painful bumps that look like acne can sometimes be caused by staph bacteria. This bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, is around us all the time: on our skin, in our noses, on surfaces, and on the ground. Inflamed skin blemishes are the most common type of staph infection.

One type of staph infection leading to acne is folliculitis, which creates clusters of acne on the skin 3. It's important to know whether your acne is due to staph in order to address the infection before it gets worse 3 .

A Staph infection can be tricky to spot because it can look similar to acne. The difference lies in that Staph quickly becomes incredibly inflamed and there isn’t an obvious border where one lesion ends and another begins.