Our experienced Consultant Dermatologists specialise in diagnosing and treating impetigo, a common bacterial skin condition. Same-day appointments are often available.
Impetigo is a common skin infection that is highly contagious, but not usually serious. Although adults can get it, most typically it affects children between 2-5 years old, with sores or blisters that turn into crusty, yellowish-brown patches. These can be itchy and uncomfortable, but luckily, with impetigo treatment, they usually clear up within a few days.
Impetigo is an infection caused by the staphylococcus aureus (‘staph’) or streptococcus (‘strep’) bacteria. It usually enters through broken skin, such as through a cut or scratch, but can also infect skin that is not damaged.
Common signs of impetigo are often sores or blisters around your child’s mouth or nose, or on the scalp or hairline, that turn into yellowish crusts. It can also spread to other parts of their body, such as the legs or arms.
You are initially likely to notice red sores or blisters around your child’s mouth or nose, although these can sometimes be harder to spot on dark skin. Symptoms can also appear around your child’s scalp, hairline, or around the tummy.
Other symptoms can include:
The most common bacteria that cause impetigo are staphylococcus aureus (‘staph’) and group A streptococcus (‘strep’). If your child has a cut, scratch, a rash or an insect bite, these bacteria can enter the broken skin, causing inflammation and infection. Conditions such as chicken pox or eczema can also lead to skin damage and potential infection.
However, skin breakage is not always at the root of the problem – impetigo can also develop after a bout of head lice, scabies or eczema.
Unfortunately, impetigo is highly contagious, and is spread by skin-to-skin contact. You can catch it by touching the sores of someone who has an infection or if you come into contact with items like towels, clothes, or sheets that the person used.
It’s therefore common among young children, but also among adults who play contact sports, such as football, rugby or wrestling.
If you think your child has impetigo our specialists can diagnose the infection by examining their skin. Impetigo can sometimes be mistaken for other conditions with similar symptoms, such as eczema, cold sores, or ringworm, so it’s always best to get it checked out by a doctor.
Thankfully, impetigo is highly treatable and usually responds quickly to antibiotics.
If your child has a minor outbreak confined to small areas of skin, a topical antibiotic cream will help get rid of symptoms fast – usually within 48 hours – and stop the infection from spreading.
For more severe cases where the impetigo has spread over a large area of your child’s skin, oral antibiotics can be more effective.
Sometimes impetigo can be persistent, especially if it has spread. If it doesn’t respond to first line antibiotics, we will take a small skin sample to be tested so we can prescribe the most effective antibiotic for your child’s infection.
Impetigo can be uncomfortable for your child, but with the right care it can be managed and treated quickly. In the meantime, it’s a good idea to try and keep the infected area clean, dabbing the crusts with warm soapy water to gently loosen them. If you can, cover the infected skin with gauze bandages or loose clothing, to stop the spread of bacteria.
Luckily impetigo responds quickly to treatment and usually stops being contagious within 48 hours. If it hasn’t been treated and has resolved by itself, it’s no longer contagious once the crusts have completely dried out.
Experts recommend taking the following steps to help stop the spread of bacteria:
If your child has impetigo, it can be uncomfortable and itchy and the sudden appearance of sores or blisters can be concerning. It’s also a highly contagious condition, so it’s important to seek medical help promptly.
We often have same day appointments available with our team of paediatricians and with Consultant Dermatologists who provide safe, effective impetigo treatment in London. They can immediately assess your child’s condition, and prescribe the appropriate medication.
It’s also important to remember that underlying skin conditions, such as eczema or scabies, can sometimes lead to repeated impetigo infections, so it’s crucial that we diagnose and address any associated issues as quickly as possible.
Our specialist paediatric dermatology team is here to support you with expert guidance and personalised treatment options. If you think your child may have impetigo or a related skin condition, please make an appointment online or call 020 7244 4200.
