When is infantigo contagious

To reduce the risk of impetigo returning, make sure any cuts, scratches or bites are kept clean. Ensure any condition that causes broken skin, such as eczema, is treated promptly. If you develop impetigo frequently, your doctor may suggest taking a swab from around your nose to see if you carry staphylococcal bacteria.

These bacteria can live in the noses of some people without causing problems, although they can lead to impetigo if they infect broken skin nearby. If you're found to carry these bacteria, you may be prescribed an antiseptic nasal cream to apply several times a day for five to 10 days in an attempt to clear the bacteria and reduce the chances of impetigo recurring.

Complications of impetigo are rare, but they can sometimes occur and can be serious. Tell your pharmacist if you have impetigo and your symptoms change or get worse. In very rare cases, impetigo may lead to some scarring, particularly if you scratch at the blisters, crusts or sores.

Impetigo does not cause any symptoms until four to 10 days after you first become infected. This means that people can easily pass the infection on to others without realising it. There are two main types of impetigo, known as non-bullous and bullous impetigo, which have different symptoms.

Most people with impetigo have the non-bullous type. After the crusts dry, they leave a red mark that usually heals without scarring. The sores are not painful, but they may be itchy. It is important not to touch, or scratch, the sores because this can spread the infection to other parts of your body, and to other people. The symptoms of bullous impetigo begin with the appearance of fluid-filled blisters bullae which usually occur on the trunk the central part of the body between the waist and neck or on the arms and legs.

As with non-bullous impetigo, it is important that you do not touch or scratch the affected areas of the skin. As the condition does not cause any symptoms until four to 10 days after initial exposure to the bacteria, it is often easily spread to others unintentionally. Impetigo stops being infectious after 48 hours of treatment starting or after the sores have stopped blistering or crusting.

In addition to the situations mentioned above, there are a number of other factors that can increase your chances of developing impetigo. These include:. Treatment is often recommended as it can help clear up the infection in around seven to 10 days and reduce the risk of the infection being passed on to others. If impetigo is confirmed, it can usually be effectively treated with antibiotics.

If the infection is being caused by an underlying skin condition, such as eczema , this may also need to be treated.

For mild cases of impetigo that cover a small area, antibiotic cream is often recommended. This usually needs to be applied three or four times a day for seven days.

Before applying the cream, wash any affected areas of skin with warm, soapy water and try to clean off any crusts that have developed. To reduce the risk of spreading the infection, it's also important that you wash your hands immediately after applying the cream or, if available, wear latex gloves while applying the cream.

If symptoms haven't improved after seven days of starting treatment, ask your pharmacist about other possible treatment options. Antibiotic tablets may be prescribed if the infection is more severe and widespread, or if the symptoms don't improve after using antibiotic cream. These usually need to be taken two to four times a day for seven days.

If a course of oral antibiotics is prescribed for you or your child, it's very important that the course is finished even if the symptoms clear up before you've taken all the tablets. Speak to your pharmacist if your symptoms haven't improved after seven days of treatment with antibiotic tablets. Further tests are usually only required in cases where the infection is severe or widespread, doesn't respond to treatment, or keeps recurring. In these circumstances, your GP may refer you to a dermatologist skin specialist for further tests or they may take a swab of the affected skin themselves for testing.

This can help to rule out or confirm other skin conditions that may be responsible for your symptoms and can detect whether you carry one of the types of bacteria responsible for the infection inside your nose. If your doctor thinks you may keep getting impetigo because you naturally have these bacteria inside your nose, they may prescribe you an antiseptic nasal cream to try to clear the bacteria. Cellulitis occurs when the infection spreads to a deeper layer of skin. It can cause symptoms of red, inflamed skin with fever and pain.

It can usually be treated with antibiotics, and painkillers can be used to relieve pain. Guttate psoriasis is a non-infectious skin condition that can develop in children and teenagers after a bacterial infection. It is usually more common after a throat infection, but some cases have been linked to impetigo.

Guttate psoriasis causes small, red, droplet-shaped, scaly patches on the chest, arms, legs and scalp. Creams can be used to control the symptoms and in some cases the condition will disappear completely after a few weeks. Scarlet fever is a rare bacterial infection that causes a fine, pink rash across the body. Associated symptoms of infection, such as nausea, pain and vomiting, are also common.

The condition is usually treated with antibiotics. Scarlet fever is not usually serious but it is contagious. Therefore, it's important to isolate an infected child and avoid close physical contact. Keep your child away from school and other people until they have been taking antibiotics for at least 24 hours.

Septicaemia a type of sepsis is a bacterial infection of the blood. It can cause:. Septicaemia is a life-threatening condition and requires immediate treatment with antibiotics in hospital. In rare cases, impetigo may lead to some scarring. However, this is more often the result of someone scratching at blisters, crusts or sores. The blisters and crusts themselves should not leave a scar if left to heal.

A more serious form of impetigo, called ecthyma, penetrates deeper into the skin — causing painful fluid- or pus-filled sores that turn into deep ulcers. The main symptom of impetigo is reddish sores, often around the nose and mouth. The sores quickly rupture, ooze for a few days and then form a honey-colored crust.

Sores can spread to other areas of the body through touch, clothing and towels. Itching and soreness are generally mild. A less common form of the condition called bullous impetigo causes larger blisters on the trunk of infants and young children.

Ecthyma is a serious form of impetigo that causes painful fluid- or pus-filled sores. If you suspect that you or your child has impetigo, consult your family doctor, your child's pediatrician or a dermatologist. You might be exposed to the bacteria that cause impetigo when you come into contact with the sores of someone who's infected or with items they've touched — such as clothing, bed linen, towels and even toys. Impetigo typically isn't dangerous. And the sores in mild forms of the infection generally heal without scarring.

Keeping skin clean is the best way to keep it healthy. It's important to wash cuts, scrapes, insect bites and other wounds right away. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Impetigo Open pop-up dialog box Close. Impetigo Impetigo starts as a reddish sore that ruptures, oozes for a few days and then forms a honey-colored crust.

Bullous impetigo Open pop-up dialog box Close. In most cases, doctors can diagnose impetigo based on how the rash looks. Occasionally, they may need to take a sample of fluid from blisters for testing. Impetigo is typically treated with antibiotics, either as an ointment or a medicine taken by mouth:.

After antibiotic treatment begins, healing should start within a few days. It's important to make sure that your child takes the medicine as prescribed. Otherwise, a deeper and more serious skin infection could develop. While the infection is healing, gently wash the skin with clean gauze and antiseptic soap every day. Soak any areas of crusted skin with warm soapy water to help remove the layers of crust you don't have to remove all of it.

To keep impetigo from spreading to other parts of the body, the doctor or nurse will probably recommend covering infected areas with gauze and tape or a loose plastic bandage. Keep your child's fingernails short and clean to prevent scratching that could lead to a worse infection. Keeping skin clean can help prevent impetigo. Kids should wash their hands well and often and take baths or showers regularly.

Pay special attention to skin injuries cuts, scrapes, bug bites, etc. Keep these areas clean and covered. Anyone in your family with impetigo should keep their fingernails cut short and the impetigo sores covered with gauze and tape. To prevent impetigo from spreading among family members, make sure everyone uses their own clothing, sheets, razors, soaps, and towels.