Impetigo

Question: Impetigo???? I have mild impetigo and i just washed my face and put bactroban on and now its ozzing out. Do i have to clean the ozzing right away or does the ozzing not cause the impetigo to spread. Please help. Also if you have any good products to buy to stop impetigo from coming back please tell me HELPP

Answer: Impetigo is a common and highly contagious skin infection that most often occurs in children. In fact, it is the most common skin infection among children. Adults who contract impetigo usually get it from contact with children. Impetigo is caused by toxin-producing bacteria that may normally be present on the skin. Unbroken skin usually provides a barrier to prevent bacteria from entering the body. However, any break in the skin, from a cut or skin disease, may permit the bacteria to enter and inflame the layers of skin. Environmental changes, including warmer weather, may also provide more opportunities for the bacteria to affect the body. Read more at the site below including treatment and prevention information! http://skin.health.ivillage.com/skinrela…

Question: Any good ways to get rid of Impetigo quickly? My teenager gets recurring impetigo (about twice a year) on his nose. Its always a very small patch but still not nice for him. He has good hygine and ive been told by the doctor this isnt the problem with him. He has been given a antibiotic cream to apply to it.... Does anyone know any better/faster remedies for it. Natural remedies, tea tree, TCP, salt water? What in your expereince works best and fastest? Also he says it tingles before he gets it is there anywhere he can stop it before it comes? Thanks

Answer: He needs to use the antibiotic cream but yes try using tea tree oil based products routinley in your house. Why not switch all of your cleaning, laundry, and personal care products to tea tree oil based products to help get all of the harmful chemicals out of your home? When he has an outbreak have him use a cream with tea tree oil or straight tea tree oil on a cotton ball on the affected area.

Question: How can i get rid of my mild impetigo fast so it does not look as bad? I have mild impetigo and i am at teen. I have a girl friend. And its really embarsing with impetigo. Its so ugly. Any idea how to cure it fast and make it not look as ugly!

Answer: Don't know about a quick cure but regular cleansing and especially keeping finger nails clean should see the problem disappear forever. John

Question: How do i know when impetigo is gone? I had impetigo for 4 days now. I also have been using a cream called Bactroban Cream. The crust is gone,now all there is left is a red-ish spot. Can i have contact with other people? Like shake their hand,etc. Or do i have to stay home longer. Also i have been using the cream for 4 days too.

Answer: Stay home a day longer. Then you should be fine.

Question: How do you get rid of impetigo when it wont go away? My brother has this nasty impetigo that wont go away, he has stayed out of school for 3 days at least and he has gone to the doctor twice. It is speading everywhere. Its super disgusting and its not going away no matter what. I just wanted to know what we should do because its really bothering me about how disgusting it looks and antibiotics arent working.

Answer: With MRSA on the rise right now, have the doc swab it and check it for that. In the meantime, use a good triple antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin all over the impetigo and remember impetigo is contagious! Wash all hands involved!

Question: How to tell difference between acne and impetigo? I've always been prone to breakouts, but in the last few weeks it seems I am breaking out differently - they are painful and more pus filled. I had impetigo long ago, and I remembered that it looked like acne, but not much more. I dont have insurance so going to the doctor on a whim isn't cool - how can I tell the difference between the two? Because I would go for one, but not the other Thanks

Answer: Impetigo is a super infection that can be caused from acne or a burn or even a pet scratch. While acne can be cured with salicic acid and acne medications, impetigo is an infection and has to be cured with antibiotics and special creams. It does sorta start out like a little pimple, but it spreads flat and the inside is usually pus filled while the outside forms a crusty ring. If you dont have insurance you should go to the ER and have them bill you, you need to have it checked out.

Question: What is the fastest way to get rid of impetigo? I have mild impetigo and it really sucks. What is the fastest way to get rid of it. How can i hide it

Answer: Wash the area with soap (like Dial)and warm sudsy water. Pat dry then gently dab on Neosporin, Polysporin or similar.(You can buy these products over the counter at a drug store). Repeat 2 or 3 times a day and before bed. Do not try to cover it up to hide it or be touching it as it spreads easily as very contagious.. Good Luck! I hope this info helps.

Question: Can you get impetigo if your already on antibiotics? My son was on antibiotics for sinus issues, and he recently came into contact with someone who has impetigo about 8 days ago. He is a wrestler. He was on the antibiotic when he wrestled the kid, do you think this will have protected him from the infection?

Answer: Most sinus infections are gram positive as is impetigo so in that case the antibiotic would work. BUT there have been cases where sinus infections, are caused by gram negative bacteria and fungal pathogens. You'll just have to wait and see, or call you doctor and see what type of infection it is, and if his current medication will be protective. The pharmacist can tell you if your son's medication will work on impetigo, just ask him. What's he taking?

Question: How do I get Impetigo out of my house? My son has had impetigo three times now and I've been washing his sheets everyday and wiping down his toys with clorox wipes. How do you clean a crib to get this bacteria out of it esspecially before my daughter needs to transition to the crib. Any suggestions are welcome. How do I keep my son from getting this bacteria again.

Answer: Look up Manuka Honey on the internet and see what you can findout. I use Manuka honey MGO 550+ and it will cure anything from mrsa to fungus infections. And don't eat it, just get some cheap honey for that. Use it like neosporin on a bandaid.

Question: Impetigo or intertrigo are they the same skin disease? Is impetigo and intertrigo the same skin disease? If someone has this how long does it take for it to go away? What do you put on it?

Answer: Hello, 'IMPETIGO,' (pronounced im - pet- EYE'' - go), is a specific infection of the skin with a particular germ called "Staph. aureus." It affects children especially, and I have heard the name mis-pronounced as "the infant tiger" <g>. The infected skin produces a gold-coloured discharge which soon dries into a golden crust, on a red background, seen here to the right of a child's lip, http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/pics… , and here on the left side of a man's face, http://www.clinical-virology.org/gallery… The gold colour of the rash is what gives Staph. aureus its name, (aureus = gold). This rash is prone to spread to unaffected skin once you have it, (see that chap's face), and it is also quite infectious by contact to others. Getting it better needs an antibiotic cream to kill off the germ, and sometimes an antibiotic by mouth as well. It then heals without leaving a scar. Impetigo affects exposed, 'flat' skin rather than skin-folds. "INTERTRIGO," (pronounced in- ter- TRYE''- go), although a similar-sounding name, is quite different and not such a "specific" germ problem. Intertrigo is a rash within a skin-fold, on opposite sides of the skin-fold. Such large skin folds include between the two buttocks, under the breasts in ladies, and in the armpits; also if you are very over-weight and have an 'apron' of tummy-fat, there is a big skin-fold 'under' the apron of fat. The reason that the insides of skin-folds are prone to problems, is because - - (1) the skin inside sweats away normally, but when the skin folds are touching together there is no way that air can get in to evaporate the sweat. So the skin gets soggy with un-evaporated sweat. - - (2) Also, the two sides of the fold make things worse by rubbing together, against each other, and scraping the skin surfaces. Then secondary germs can jump in too and cause an infection. Here is an intertrigo in between the buttocks... http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050901/833_f1.… caused by a secondary yeast infection; - - here is a rash between the fingers caused by secondary infection with a Pseudomonas germ; http://www.emro.who.int/Publications/EMH… ; and here is a rash under the breasts caused by a secondary yeast infection. http://www.skinatlas.com/candintertrigo.… What is fundamental to an intertrigo, is (a) the sogginess and scraping within a skin-fold caused by un-evaporated sweat, and (b) the follow-on skin infection. The germ which follows on is *not* specific, like it is in Impetigo. It can be a yeast,... a fungus,... or a bacterium. The treatment of an Intertrigo is first of all, against the yeast, fungus, or bacterium, - - but after that, there is still the problem of the sweating, and patients may need to put a cotton-wool or gauze into the fold to prevent recurrence. Excessive sweating in the armpits, can also be treated with a special aluminium paint. I hope this is of some help. Best wishes, Belliger (retired uk gp)