What Is Impetigo?
The medical term impetigo is used for an extreme contagious infection of skin. Impetigo mostly targets children and infants. Typically, it emerges as red sores around the child’s mouth and nose. Such sores later burst, and form crusts of honey color.
In addition to this, this contagious skin infection resolves on its own, completing its due course of around 2-3 weeks. However antibiotics help to prevent its spread and reduce its course. Without antibiotics, the skin condition is extremely infectious until sores disappear.
What Are The Symptoms Of Impetigo?
Its obvious symptoms involve sores of red color which rupture and ooze for some days before forming a crust of brownish-yellowish color. Typically, the sores emerge around the mouth and nose; though can also spread to some other body areas through towels, clothing and fingers.
What Causes Impetigo?
By being exposed to the bacteria responsible for triggering impetigo tends to cause the skin infection. Such occurs by coming in contact with an infected person’s sores or with his or her used items such as towels, clothing, bed sheet etc.
What Are The Risk Factors Of Impetigo?
Certain factors make you more likely to experience impetigo, such as:
- Even though, any one among us can experience impetigo, regardless of age, the contagious skin infection is more common in children between the ages of 2-6.
- Infection of impetigo is commonly observed in summer.
- The skin infection easily spreads in child care settings and schools.
- Participants of outdoor sports activities which tend to involve skin contact for example wrestling or football raises the chances of impetigo.
What Are The Potential Complications Of Impetigo?
Normally, impetigo is not harmful; however certain complications can rarely occur such as:
- Scarring.
- Kidney problems.
- Cellulitis.
How Is Impetigo Diagnosed?
Usually, thorough physical examination of the distinctive sores serves as the basis of impetigo diagnosis. Lab tests are rarely required. However; if sores do not respond to antibiotic, then the doctor can take the sample of fluid oozed by a sore in order to test it for determining the suitable antibiotic.
How Is Impetigo Treated?
Antibiotics tend to be the basis of its treatment. Such drugs are delivered through cream or ointment which can be directly applied to the affected skin. Sometimes, the doctor can prescribe oral antibiotics drugs for instances with just a few sores of impetigo. One must always complete the course of antibiotics as per the doctor’s advice, even if he or she is recovered as this helps to prevent impetigo to recur.
Prevention:
Just by keeping your skin clean, you can keep it healthy. All you need to do is:
- Treat insect bites, scrapes, cuts at once through washing your affected parts.
- If anyone in your family is suffering from impetigo, avoid using his or her personal items such as towel, comb and clothes etc.
- Wash your hands more often.
- Advice the family member to keep his or her nails short in order to prevent any damage caused by scratching.
- Let the member stay at home unless the doctor states he or she is completely fine.
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By : Natural Health News
