Impetigo: Skin Infection

Impetigo is a common type of skin infection and is highly contagious. Most of the time it can appear on the hands, neck and face in children, Impetigo occurs rarely in adults but it is a sign of a more severe skin condition. There are many types of Impetigo: Impetigo Contagiosa, Bullous Impetigo, and Ecythma but out of all of these Ecythma is the most serious because it damages the second layer of the skin. People with Ecythma will have painful blisters that may turn into ulcers, scars and swollen lymph nodes might also occur. Two percent of the population is affected by impetigo; people with impetigo can suffer uncomfortable and embarrassing symptoms. Symptoms can include itchy rashes, skin lesions, fluid- filled blisters, and red sores that leave a yellow crust.
Staphylococcus Aureus is the bacteria that are found in impetigo this bacteria enters the body after the skin has been irritated or left untreated.
It’s more likely for a child to get impetigo after he/she has had a cold, it can also appear on people with healthy skin. Most of the time children are infected by a cut, insect bite, etc. Impetigo symptoms do not appear as soon as the person has been touched by an individual with the disease. It takes at least four to ten days for the bacteria to reach the immune system, during the days people can unknowingly spread the infection to others because they do not know they are
infected.
The diagnosis for the disease is quite simple the doctor will examine your skin. Sometimes the doctor will take a piece of the scab or sore to send off to the lab to identify exactly what bacteria growing. If the child is showing other signs of sickness a blood or urine test may be administered. The doctor will give you some antibiotics to try and clear up the sores. Some types of bacteria caused by impetigo are resistant to some antibiotic drugs, which means it, might work and it might not. It all depends on how your immune system handles the antibiotics.
There are many treatments for impetigo but the most used is antibiotics, they can be given as a pill, cream, ointment or that can be applied to the affected body. There are many at homes remedies to help with healing the skin sores. It is also good to keep the area clean and dry, you can also use tea tree oil, garlic, and grapefruit seed extract. To prevent impetigo from forming treat insect bites, cuts, and other wounds right away. If you or someone in your family has impetigo there are simple things you can do to prevent it from spreading to others, washing your hands frequently, wear gloves when applying the antibiotic cream, and if your child is affected cut their fingernail short to stop damage to the skin.