Impetigo

Impetigo starts with red sores or blisters, but the redness may be harder to see in brown and black skin.

The sores or blisters quickly burst and leave crusty, golden-brown patches.

The patches can:

• look a bit like cornflakes stuck to your skin

• get biggerspread to other parts of your body

• be itchy

• sometimes be painful

Impetigo can easily spread to other parts of your body or to other people until it stops being contagious.

It stops being contagious:

• 48 hours after you start using hydrogen peroxide cream or antibiotics prescribed by your GP

• when the patches dry out and crust over (if you do not get treatment)

The following practices will help stop impetigo spreading or getting worse while it's still contagious.

Do not:

• touch or scratch sores, blisters or crusty patches – this also helps stop scarring

• have close contact with children or people with diabetes or a weakened immune system (if they're having chemotherapy, for example)

• share flannels, sheets or towels

• prepare food for other people

• go to the gym

• play contact sports like football

Do:

• stay away from school or work

• keep sores, blisters and crusty patches clean and dry

• cover them with loose clothing or gauze bandages

• wash your hands frequently

• wash flannels, sheets and towels at a high temperature

• wash or wipe down toys with detergent and warm water if your children have impetigo

Our pharmacists can:

• Offer advice to help you get better

• Prescribe hydrogen peroxide cream to speed up your recovery, or antibiotic cream or tablets if it's very bad.

• Tell you if you need to see a GP about your symptoms