What is impetigo?

What is impetigo? How do you prevent it? Are you stuck with it for life? Whats the best way to treat it?

IMPETIGO - If you have children, you've probably dealt with an assortment of rashes and skin irritations over the years. One of the most common of these is impetigo 鈥?a skin infection that mainly affects infants and children. Impetigo usually appears on the face, especially around a child's nose and mouth. And although it commonly occurs when bacteria enter the skin through cuts or insect bites, it can also develop in skin that's perfectly healthy.

Impetigo starts as a red sore that quickly ruptures, oozes for a few days and then forms a yellowish-brown crust that looks like honey or brown sugar. The disease is highly contagious, and scratching or touching the sores is likely to spread the infection to other parts of the body as well as to other people.

Impetigo is seldom serious, and minor infections may clear on their own in two to three weeks. But because impetigo can sometimes lead to complications, your child's doctor may choose to treat it with an antibiotic ointment or oral antibiotics. Your child can usually return to school or a child care setting as soon as he or she isn't contagious 鈥?often within 24 hours of starting antibiotic therapy.

You can help prevent the infection by taking good care of your child's skin. Use soap and water when bathing your child, and pay special attention to cuts, rashes, insect bites and allergic reactions. If anyone in your family does develop impetigo, a few simple measures can help keep the infection from spreading.-

go to your doctor if you have impetigo they can give you something to treat it with its very nasty and highly infectios i know someone who had it once not sure what it is tho

Its a rash that usually starts out like a cold sore but spreads quickly all over the face. Children are usaully more prone to it. It is highly contagious and needs to be treated quickly with prescription cream.

Impetigo is an virus which affects the skin. The easiest way to prevent it is by good hand hygiene, having separate towels. The way to treat it is to go see your GP who will prescribed some antibiotic ointment or tablets (or both in some cases).
You aren't stuck with it forever but it is highly infectious so sometimes everyone in the family/classroom can get it & be cured & then the cycle starts off all over again.

Impetigo, a contagious skin infection that usually produces blisters or sores on the face and hands, is one of the most common skin infections among kids.

It is generally caused by one of two bacteria: group A streptococcus or staphylococcus aureus. Impetigo usually affects preschool and school-age children, especially in the summer months. A child may be more likely to develop impetigo if the skin has already been irritated or injured by other skin problems, such as eczema, poison ivy, insect bites, or a skin allergy to soap or makeup.

Good hygiene can help prevent impetigo, which often develops when there is a sore or a rash that has been scratched repetitively (for example, poison ivy can get infected and turn into impetigo). Impetigo is typically treated with antibiotics.

Impetigo is a superficial skin infection with crusting or bullae caused by streptococci, staphylococci, or both. Ecthyma is an ulcerative form of impetigo.
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It is a skin infection caused by staphylococcal or streptococcal bacteria when they get under the skin usually via a cut.
The bacteria attacks the protein cells that help to bind the skin together.
Best treated with antibiotics.
Extremely contagious and can lead to other ailments such as cold-sores and ringworm.
Your stuck with it but treatment if done early can clear it up quickly until the next outbreak.

It's a bacterial skin infection which is highly contagious, and you should seek immediate medical attention. You will get an antibiotic cream and tablets if it's bad, and in about a week it'll be gone. May be slight scarring.

impetigo is a infection witch is very contagous usually if you cut you self or graze your self and its not cleaned properly it can turn in to impetigo i grazed my face once and i got impetigo it turned in to a big horrible scabe i was given a special cream to put on it and it soon cleared up.

You can get rid of it by using the same medications you use for athletes feet. It is a fungus. You can also cure ring worm the same way.

Impetigo is the common name for bacterial skin infections caused by staphylococcus. It is extremely infection and can be spread from place to place on the patient and to other individuals by direct contact and also via 'fomites' or inanimate objects like shared towels.

It is treated with oral and topical antibiotics which are curative.