Impetigo

Impetigo

Impetigo is a skin infection that's very contagious but not usually serious. It often gets better in 7 to 10 days if you get treatment. Anyone can get it, but it's very common in young children.

Impetigo starts with red sores or blisters, but the redness may be harder to see in brown and black skin.

The sores or blisters quickly burst and leave crusty, golden-brown patches.

The patches can:

• look a bit like cornflakes stuck to your skin


• get bigger


• spread to other parts of your body


• be itchy


• sometimes be painful

See a GP if you or your child:

A GP will check it's not something more serious, like cellulitis.

If it's impetigo, they can prescribe antibiotic cream to speed up your recovery or antibiotic tablets if it's very bad.

Sometimes, the GP might be able to prescribe a non-antibiotic cream.

If your impetigo keeps coming back

A GP can take a swab from around your nose to check for the bacteria that causes impetigo.

They might prescribe an antiseptic nasal cream to try to clear the bacteria and stop the impetigo coming back.

Make sure you finish treatment

Do not stop using the antibiotic cream or tablets early, even if the impetigo starts to clear up.

Impetigo can easily spread to other parts of your body or to other people until it stops being contagious.

It stops being contagious:

• 48 hours after you start using the medicine prescribed by your GP


• when the patches dry out and crust over (if you do not get treatment)

To help stop impetigo spreading or getting worse while it's still contagious:

Impetigo usually infects skin that's already damaged.

To avoid spreading the infection to other areas of your body and to other people:

• keep cuts, scratches and insect bites clean – for example, by washing them with warm water and soap


• get treatment for skin conditions, like eczema