When is impetigo not infectious

That's why people with impetigo should keep the sores covered when they go to school or other public places. After you take the medicine for least 24 hours, the impetigo isn't contagious anymore.

After 3 days, the sores should begin to heal. Your mom or dad should call the doctor if you develop a fever or if you don't get better after taking the medicine for a few days. Your parent should call the doctor right away if skin around the impetigo sore becomes red, warm, swollen, or painful if you touch it.

If someone in your family or a friend has impetigo, don't touch that person's skin. Also steer clear of his or her clothes, towels, sheets, and pillows.

The bacteria that cause impetigo can live on all these things. Your parent should wash these items in very hot water. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size.

Kids seem to get it more than adults do, but impetigo can affect anyone. What Causes Impetigo? Then cover the sore with a bandage or gauze. Another home treatment is a minute bath with a very dilute solution of household bleach 2. This reduces the number of bacteria on the skin, if you use it regularly.

A number of home remedies are also available at your drugstore or natural products store. The open sores are highly contagious. Scratching the sores can spread the infection from one place on your skin to another, or to another person. The infection can also spread from anything an infected person touches.

Because it spreads so easily, impetigo is sometimes called the school disease. It can quickly spread from child to child in a classroom or day care center where children are in close contact. For the same reason, it also spreads easily in families. If you or your child has impetigo, wash and disinfect everything the infection might come into contact with, including clothes, bedding, towels, toys, or sports equipment.

Topical antibiotics such as mupirocin can usually clear up impetigo in a few days and shorten the length of time that the disease is contagious. Oral antibiotics stop the infection from being contagious after 24 to 48 hours.

Like impetigo, cold sores are blisters that form around your mouth. You might also see them on your nose or fingers. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus HSV. Antiviral creams and pills treat cold sores if necessary. You can spread or catch the virus that causes cold sores though kissing. The sores remain infectious until they crust over, so avoid kissing anyone who has never had cold sores until that time.

Cold sores form in five stages. Learn what to expect after you see one pop up. Essential oils are liquids extracted from plants.

Dozens of essential oils have antibacterial properties. This suggests that essential oils may be useful for treating impetigo, though currently there is no research to support this.

These products could have advantages over antibiotics, because some of the bacteria that cause impetigo have become resistant to current antibiotic drugs. Geranium, patchouli, and tea tree oil are a few of the essential oils that may be helpful for treating impetigo. Before you try any essential oil or other alternative treatment, talk to your doctor.

Some of these products can cause side effects, and they may not be safe for everyone. More than 90 different types of essential oils exist. Each has its own unique health benefits. Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin. The name refers to the ring-like shape of the red, raised skin patches it produces. You can catch ringworm through direct contact or by sharing personal items with people who are infected. The typical treatment is with an antifungal skin cream.

Some products are available over the counter. Others require a prescription from your doctor. Do not stop using the antibiotic cream or tablets early, even if the impetigo starts to clear up. Impetigo can easily spread to other parts of your body or to other people until it stops being contagious.

To help stop impetigo spreading or getting worse while it's still contagious:. To avoid spreading the infection to other areas of your body and to other people:.

Page last reviewed: 18 March Next review due: 18 March Check if you have impetigo Impetigo starts with red sores or blisters, but the redness may be harder to see in brown and black skin. Bullous impetigo Bullous impetigo causes fluid-filled blisters — often on the trunk, arms and legs of infants and children younger than 2 years.

Ecthyma Open pop-up dialog box Close. Ecthyma A more serious form of impetigo, called ecthyma, penetrates deeper into the skin — causing painful fluid- or pus-filled sores that turn into deep ulcers. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references AskMayoExpert. Mayo Clinic; Baddour LM. Accessed Jan. Ferri FF, et al. Diseases and disorders.

Elsevier; Kliegman RM, et al. Cutaneous bacterial infections. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics.