What happens if impetigo goes untreated

Symptoms of severe impetigo infection If large areas of the skin are affected, symptoms may also include: fever swollen lymph glands general feeling of unwellness malaise.

Diagnosis of impetigo Impetigo may be diagnosed by an experienced clinician on the basis of the appearance of the infection. Treatment of impetigo Impetigo can be treated with prescription antibiotic ointments or creams, which need to be reapplied until the sores have completely healed. Care of the impetigo infection at home Suggestions for home care include: Wash the sores lesions with an antibacterial or antiseptic soap every eight to 12 hours, soaking off visible crust.

After each wash, pat the lesions dry. Use a clean towel each time. Apply a waterproof occlusive dressing completely cover and seal the area where possible to stop further spread of the infection.

Use a crepe bandage to hold the dressing in place or help prevent younger children from scratching the sores. See your doctor if the sores spread and get worse despite treatment, or if the child becomes unwell with fever. Avoid spreading impetigo Impetigo blisters and crusts are filled with bacteria. Suggestions to reduce the risk of transmission to other family members include: Encourage everyone to wash their hands with soap frequently, and dry completely.

A child with impetigo should be kept home from school or day care until appropriate treatment has begun and the sores on exposed areas are covered with a waterproof occlusive dressing. Avoid scratching or touching the sores to prevent spread to other areas of the body. Use a crepe bandage if necessary. Keep affected areas of skin clean and covered to minimise the chance of spreading the infection. Always wash your hands with soap before and after touching sores or scabs. Encourage children to use their own towel and face cloth.

No sharing. Wash all household linen in hot water while the infection is present. Dispose of used dressings promptly and thoroughly. Wash and dry hands after the dressings have been disposed of into a plastic bag and place bag into household waste. Impetigo is dangerous for newborns Keep the infected person well away from young babies.

More information here. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? This page focuses on impetigo caused by group A Streptococcus group A strep. In addition to impetigo, group A strep cause many other types of infections. When group A strep infects the skin, it causes sores. The bacteria can spread to others if someone touches those sores or comes into contact with fluid from the sores. Impetigo starts as a red, itchy sore.

In general, impetigo is a mild infection that can occur anywhere on the body. It most often affects exposed skin, such as around the nose and mouth or on the arms or legs. Symptoms include red, itchy sores that break open and leak a clear fluid or pus for a few days. Doctors typically diagnose impetigo by looking at the sores physical examination. Lab tests are not needed. Impetigo is treated with antibiotics that are either rubbed onto the sores topical antibiotics or taken by mouth oral antibiotics.

A doctor might recommend a topical ointment, such as mupirocin or retapamulin, for only a few sores. Oral antibiotics can be used when there are more sores. Very rarely, kidney problems post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis can be a complication of impetigo. If someone has this complication, it usually starts one to two weeks after the skin sores go away. Learn about post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis.

People can get impetigo more than once. Having impetigo does not protect someone from getting it again in the future. While there is no vaccine to prevent impetigo, there are things people can do to protect themselves and others. Keep sores caused by impetigo covered in order to help prevent spreading group A strep to others. Impetigo is usually treated with topical or oral antibiotics. If you have multiple lesions or if there is an outbreak, your doctor might prescribe an oral antibiotic.

There is no over-the-counter OTC treatment for impetigo. Untreated, impetigo often clears up on its own after a few days or weeks, Smith says. The key is to keep the infected area clean with soap and water and not to scratch it. The downside of not treating impetigo is that some people might develop more lesions that spread to other areas of their body.