Impetigo
What is Impetigo ?
Impetigo (im-puh-TIE-go) is a common and highly contagious skin infection that mainly affects infants and young children. It 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 burst and develop honey-colored crusts.
Treatment with antibiotics can limit the spread of impetigo to others. Keep children home from school or day care until they’re no longer contagious — usually 24 hours after beginning antibiotic treatment.
Symptoms
- Impetigo blisters may be pus-filled and burst easily
- Impetigo rash can spread
- Cause red, raw skin
- Skin lesions
- The lesions can spread to other parts of the body
- Swollen lymph nodes near the infected area
- Reddish skin surrounding red blisters
- Blisters that burst easily and leak
- Crusting
- Oozing
Cause
Impetigo causes include certain types of bacteria that lead to infection. The most common impetigo bacteria include Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus or “staph”): S. aureus causes 80% of non-bullous impetigo cases. Group A streptococcus (“strep”): Group A strep causes 10% of non-bullous cases. The bacteria usually enter your child’s skin through a cut, scrape, rash or insect bite. After they enter your child’s body, the bacteria continue growing in their skin. This can lead to inflammation and infection in the top layers of your child’s skin. Your child may also get impetigo by scratching something itchy on their skin, such as chickenpox or eczema. When they scratch, it breaks the skin, making it easy for bacteria to get in. Impetigo may also occur without any skin breakage. Instead, it can occur after you’ve experienced another skin condition, such as Head lice, Scabies, Eczema. Adults can also get impetigo through health conditions such as tattoo infections.
Risk Factors
Factors that increase the risk of impetigo include Age. Impetigo occurs most commonly in children ages 2 to 5. Close contact. Impetigo spreads easily within families, in crowded settings, such as schools and child care facilities, and from participating in sports that involve skin-to-skin contact. Warm, humid weather. Impetigo infections are more common in warm, humid weather. Broken skin. The bacteria that cause impetigo often enter the skin through a small cut, insect bite or rash. Other health conditions. Children with other skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis (eczema), are more likely to develop impetigo. Older adults, people with diabetes or people with a weakened immune system are also more likely to get it.
When to see a Doctor
If you suspect that you or your child has impetigo, consult your family doctor, your child’s pediatrician, or a dermatologist.