Impetigo

What is Impetigo

Impetigo is a skin infection that’s very contagious but not usually serious. Anyone can get it, but it’s more common in young children. With treatment it often gets better in a few days.

Who can use this service

• Adults and children over 12 months old with signs and symptoms. 

Who cannot use this service

• Pregnant people under the age of 16. 
• Those who are breastfeeding and have impetigo lesions on their breasts.  
• Anyone who has had impetigo 2 or more times in the past year.  

Symptoms of Impetigo

• It starts with red sores or blisters, but the redness may be harder to see on brown and black skin.
• The sores or blisters quickly burst and often leave crusty, golden-brown patches.

The patches can:

• look a bit like cornflakes stuck to your skin
• get bigger and spread to other parts of your body
• be itchy and are sometimes painful