Impetigo

Impetigo (pronounced “im-peh-TIE-go”) is an itchy, sometimes painful, skin infection. When your child gets a cut, bite or scratch that opens their skin, bacteria can enter and cause a bacterial infection. But impetigo can infect skin even if it’s not broken or punctured.

Impetigo happens more often in warmer months when children are outside. Typically, the first signs of impetigo are sores and blisters on your child’s mouth and nose. It can also appear on your child’s scalp, hairline, legs and arms.

Types of impetigo

There are a few different types of impetigo, including non-bullous, bullous and ecthyma.

Non-bullous impetigo

Non-bullous is early-stage impetigo. It’s the most common type. The non-bullous impetigo early stages include:

1. Developing one or more itchy sores that quickly burst.
2. Red or raw skin where sores have broken open.
3. Swollen glands near the sores.
4. Forming honey-colored crusts over the sores, but the skin eventually heals without scarring.

Bullous impetigo

Bullous impetigo is a rarer type of skin infection. It’s more common in infants. More than 90% of cases of bullous impetigo affect children younger than age 2. The stages of this type include:

1. Large, fluid-filled blisters form on your child’s skin, but no redness appears around the surrounding skin.
2. The blisters become clear and limp and then break open.
3. Crusty sores form on your child’s skin, and their skin heals without scarring.

Ecthyma

Untreated impetigo can develop into ecthyma. Ecthyma is a more serious type of skin infection. It goes deeper into your child’s skin. The stages typically include:

1. Painful blisters form on your child’s skin that turn into deep, open sores.
2. Thick crusts develop on your child’s skin, and redness often appears near the surrounding skin.
3. After your child’s skin heals, scars may form because the infection went deeper into their skin.

How common is impetigo?

Impetigo is the most common skin infection in kids between the ages of 2 and 5. Older children can also get it. It accounts for about 10% of skin conditions in children.

Can adults get impetigo?

Yes, impetigo can affect adults. In adults, the condition may occur after another skin issue. Sometimes it develops after you’ve had a cold or another virus. You may be at higher risk if you:

• Live in a tropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild winters.
• Have a scabies infection.
• Participate in skin-to-skin contact sports where cuts and scrapes are common.
• Live in close contact with others. Infections often occur among people living in the same house.

Impetigo vs. cold sore

Impetigo and cold sores are both common skin infections that can cause blisters. Cold sores usually occur around your mouth and consist of small blisters. Impetigo can form around your mouth but also on other parts of your face and body. It causes larger blisters. A bacteria causes impetigo, whereas cold sores are a symptom of the herpes simplex virus (HSV).

Impetigo vs. weeping eczema

Impetigo and weeping eczema are both common skin conditions. Impetigo is a type of skin infection, whereas eczema is a type of dermatitis. Impetigo causes crusty, honey-colored sores and blisters. Weeping eczema sometimes causes blisters with clear or straw-colored fluid. The blisters may be purple or red and they can ooze or “weep” the fluid.