morgellons fibers Archives - Morgellons Survey

Morgellons Without Skin Lesions: Is There Enough Evidence to Validate a Subgroup?

Updated October 25, 2026 · Originally published October 24, 2026 by Jeremy Murphree

Illustration of a man examining his intact forearm beside the title “Morgellons Without Skin Lesions?”

Can Morgellons occur without skin lesions? A focused review of case definitions, patient reports and the evidence for a lesion-free subgroup.

How to Photograph Morgellons Skin Findings for a Clinical Visit

Updated November 8, 2026 · Originally published October 16, 2026 by Jeremy Murphree

Close-up photograph of skin with fine strand-like material and visible hair shafts, from Jeremy Murphree’s original photography article.

A useful photograph connects a skin finding to its location, size and history. This guide explains how to make that record clearer when documenting lesions or filament-like material described as Morgellons, while keeping appearance, material identification and diagnosis separate.

When Clothing Hurts: Living With Morgellons Skin Lesions

Updated October 19, 2026 · Originally published October 7, 2026 by Jeremy Murphree

Woman looking at sores and a dressing on her forearm while holding a soft blouse, with small sores on her forehead and cheek.

Daily life • Practical support

Clothing, laundry, sleep, and work can become harder when skin is sore. A few practical adjustments can reduce the daily burden.

By Jeremy Murphree, founder of MorgellonsSurvey.org and patient advocate. Jeremy is not a physician.

Getting dressed can become a negotiation with your skin. Something that was comfortable yesterday lands against a new sore today. You change, check the dressing, and try again. By the time you leave the house, an ordinary morning has already taken extra effort.

For people living with Morgellons, painful or open lesions can make clothing difficult. Visible marks may influence what you wear, while concern about fibers adds another decision: how to stay comfortable without confusing the record of what you find on your skin.

Tell your clinician how these problems affect getting dressed, sleeping, and working. Those details can help focus the appointment on changes that would make daily life easier.

The CDC Morgellons Study: What It Found—and What It Couldn’t Prove

Updated October 27, 2026 · Originally published September 12, 2026 by Jeremy Murphree

Illustrated audit of the CDC Morgellons study showing 115 participants narrowing to 12 loose-material donors.

The 2012 CDC-sponsored study did not classify Morgellons as delusional infestation. It also did not identify a cause shared across the group. This audit follows the denominators and separates what the study measured from what later sources claimed.

The Stain That Would Settle It

Updated October 19, 2026 · Originally published September 10, 2026 by Jeremy Murphree

Reactive perforating collagenosis and Morgellons comparison showing a mapped RPC tissue route beside an unmapped Morgellons route

Research criticism · Dermatopathology · Morgellons

Reactive Perforating Collagenosis and Morgellons share plug and collagen observations but diverge on anatomy and symptoms. An intact, elastic-stained lesion could distinguish their tissue routes.

Acquired perforating dermatosis Morgellons fibers Tissue architecture

In reactive perforating collagenosis, damaged collagen can be pushed out through skin—and a pathologist can see that route under the microscope. Some Morgellons lesions are described as cratered or plug-centered. Middelveen has sectioned attached callus material and reported follicular casts and comedo-like masses. Those observations justify testing whether some lesions fit the RPC or acquired perforating dermatosis pattern. They do not already establish that diagnosis.