Impetigo looks like reddish sores on the face, especially around the nose and mouth and on the hands and feet.
Impetigo is very contagious and can easily be spread from person to person through simple skin contact.
Always wash your hands and your children's hands often when they have Impetigo and wash anything they or you touch.
The main cause of impetigo is from being in contact with the bacteria group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus.
The bacteria group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus can be spread from person to person through skin contact.
Impetigo infection is a common and highly contagious skin infection which mainly affects infants and young children.
The impetigo skin infection usually appears as reddish sores on the face, especially around the nose and mouth and on the hands and feet.
Over about a week, the sores from impetigo burst and develop honey-colored crusts.
Impetigo starts out with red sores or blisters, although 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.
Impetigo is caused when bacteria get into open skin.
Children do not get impetigo because they are dirty.
While impetigo is a contagious skin infection, it's caused by bacteria (either staphylococcus or streptococcus strain) while herpes simplex virus (both type 1 and type 2) are caused by viral infections.
Impetigo is treated with prescription mupirocin antibiotic ointment or cream applied directly to the sores two to three times a day for five to 10 days.
Before applying the medicine, soak the area in warm water or apply a wet cloth compress for a few minutes.
Because it's so contagious, impetigo can spread through any close contact.
Adults who play sports often catch it from skin-to-skin contact.
The symptoms of impetigo in adults are sores around the nose and mouth or other exposed areas of the body.
These sores break open, ooze, and then crust.
During treatment, it's important to take precautions to minimise the risk of impetigo spreading to other people or to other areas of the body.
Most people are no longer contagious after 48 hours of treatment or once their sores have dried and healed.
Impetigo is spread mainly by person-to-person contact; it is rapidly spread through direct transmission in day-care centers and schools.
Less frequently, the disease may be spread indirectly by contact with sheets, clothing, or toys contaminated by infected individuals.
Impetigo is mainly confined to humans.
The easiest way to tell the difference between impetigo and hand, foot, and mouth disease is to note where the rash and sores appear.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease, by definition, appears frequently on the palm, soles, and inside the mouth, while impetigo does not show up in the mouth.
If crusts form, your doctor may advise you to soften or remove the crusts.
You can do this by soaking them in warm water and patting them dry.
This can help the cream or ointment treat impetigo.
After you touch the area, wash your hands with soap and water.
Children should be kept off school or nursery until there is no more blistering or crusting, or until 48 hours after antibiotic treatment has been started.
Adults with impetigo should also stay off work until crusts have dried and scabbed over, or until 48 hours after antibiotics have been started.
Impetigo Sores should be cleaned every 8 – 12 hours, dried thoroughly and covered with a waterproof dressing.
Bathing the blisters with salty water will help to dry them out (use saline solution or dissolve about half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of water).
Manuka honey and raw honey are two of the most effective home remedy treatments and choices for Impetigo.
Apply either type of honey directly to impetigo sores, and let it sit for 20 minutes.
Rinse with warm water.