skin infections

Question
Hello Helen ,
 I'm writing on behalf of Porca , a miniature pot bellied pig that was given to some friends of mine for a wedding present, I live in Catalonia, Spain and after a visit today to their farm i noticed Porca had cracked and crusty deep patches of skin under her eyes , where his tears may naturally seep , it's an area of 5x3 cm under both eyes, which is now in a state of bleeding when the cracks open, the owner had been applying iodine ( betadine ) on him (undiluted) , which I  explained may not be a good treatment as I find iodine ( especially neat iodine) increases dryness around an infection  (making the situation worse). I personally know nothing of pp pigs apart from what i've just been learning online, no one locally seems to know anything about them either . Please can you help , I can only see this skin disorder steadily getting worse if not treated , as most ppp's, Porca also has very dry skin , but around his eyes it's becoming crustier with the mud and dirt he rubs into it . Thankyou in advance of any solutions you may offer .
  Yours sincerely , Rachel and her friend Porca

Answer
I am not a veterinarian, and can not make a diagnosis over the internet.

Some pigs have very weepy or teary eyes. When the tears drip down the cheek, they can attract junk and dirt. Then it dries into a hard mess stuck to the bristles, etc.

My suggestion is to skip the iodine, and instead focus on keeping the area under the eye clean and dry, and making sure the eyelashes are not bothering the eyeball. Gently pull at the eyelashes while cleaning the eyes. Clean them several times a day with a damp soft cloth or paper towel, then wipe the cheeks dry.

You can use any antibiotic lotion for people on pigs, but I would not do that. Any sort of lotion will just attract more dirt. After a week or so of keeping the area clean and dry you should see an improvement.