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.

Check if you have impetigo

Impetigo starts with red sores or blisters. They quickly burst and leave crusty, golden-brown patches.

These can:

look a bit like cornflakes stuck to your skin
get bigger
spread to other parts of your body
be itchy
sometimes be painful

Impetigo scabs on a young child's face — Sores (non-bullous impetigo) or blisters (bullous impetigo) can start anywhere – but usually on exposed areas like your face and hands.

Impetigo blisters on a young child's torso — It's also common for blisters to start around your tummy.

Impetigo patches on a young child's hand — The sores or blisters burst and form crusty patches.

If you're not sure it's impetigo

Impetigo can look similar to other skin conditions.

A table possible causes of symptoms.
Skin symptoms	Possible cause
Blisters on lips or around the mouth	Cold sores
Itchy, dry, cracked, sore	Eczema
Itchy blisters	Shingles, chickenpox

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if you or your child:

might have impetigo
had treatment for impetigo but the symptoms change or get worse
had impetigo before and it keeps coming back

Impetigo is very infectious. Check with the GP before you go in to the practice. They may suggest a phone consultation.

Treatment for impetigo from a GP

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.

Important

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

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.

Stop impetigo spreading or getting worse

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

You can do some things to help stop it spreading or getting worse while it's still contagious:

Do

stay away from school or work
keep sores, blisters and crusty patches clean and dry
cover them with loose clothing or gauze bandages
wash your hands frequently
wash your flannels, sheets and towels at a high temperature
wash or wipe down toys with detergent and warm water if your children have impetigo

Don't

do not touch or scratch sores, blisters or crusty patches – this also helps stop scarring
do not have close contact with children or people with diabetes or a weakened immune system (if they're having chemotherapy, for example)
do not share flannels, sheets or towels
do not prepare food for other people
do not go to the gym
do not play contact sports like football

How to avoid impetigo

Impetigo usually infects skin that's already damaged.

Avoid infection by:

keeping cuts, scratches and insect bites clean – for example, by washing with warm water and soap
getting treatment for skin conditions, like eczema

Page last reviewed: 11 January 2018
Next review due: 11 January 2021