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Impetigo    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Treatment

The goals of treatment are to cure the infection and relieve the symptoms.

A mild infection is treated with topical (applied to a localized area of the skin) antibiotics prescribed by the health care provider. A typical topical agent would be a prescription antibacterial cream such as Bactroban. Oral antibiotics frequently are prescribed and result in rapid clearing of the lesions. Typical antibiotics include erythromycin or dicloxacillin.

Wash the skin several times a day, preferably with an antibacterial soap, to remove crusts and drainage.

Prevent the spread of infection. Use a clean washcloth and towel each time. Do not share towels, clothing, razors, and so on with other family members. Wash the hands thoroughly after touching the skin lesions.

Prognosis

The sores of impetigo heal slowly and seldom scar. The cure rate is extremely high, but recurrences may be frequent in young children.

Complications

• Spread of infection to other parts of the body. This is a common occurrence.
• Frequently a child is seen with multiple patches of impetigo.
• Systemic infection leading to kidney failure (post streptococcal glomerulonephritis). This is a rare occurrence.
• Permanent skin damage, scarring (also extremely rare).

Call Your Health Care Provider If:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if symptoms indicating impetigo are present.

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