Is impetigo contagious?

Impetigo is one of the most common skin diseases. The occurrence of impetigo can have a great impact on the patient's life, such as unbearable itching, skin suppuration, and in severe cases, it can also affect personal image. In addition, as people's awareness of health and disease prevention has continued to increase in recent years, they will deliberately avoid sources of infection in their daily lives. So is impetigo contagious to other people? What should you pay attention to in your daily life if you have impetigo?

Impetigo can be classified into the following categories depending on the infecting bacteria: infection with Staphylococcus aureus is called bullous impetigo, infection with Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus is called common impetigo, infection centered on hair follicles is called follicular impetigo, and infection that is only the size of a grain of rice and has significant inflammation is called follicular impetigo. No matter what kind of pustule it is, it will cause a lot of trouble to the patient.

Bullous impetigo. The initial lesions are rice- to soybean-sized blisters, which are initially clear yellow in color but quickly become turbid and enlarge to the size of a broad bean or larger. The wall is thin and the redness around the blister is lighter. After a few days, the blister walls become loose and itching symptoms appear. The blister wall is thin and easily broken, forming a bright red eroded surface after breaking. The blister fluid on the surface dries up and forms a light yellow scab. After the pustules have scabs, you cannot peel off the scabs with your hands, otherwise it will leave ugly scars. The treatment principle for impetigo should be early detection and early treatment. First, the cause should be eliminated and the patient should be isolated if necessary.

Usually pay attention to local cleaning and avoid scratching to prevent the spread. In addition to general supportive therapy, impetigo should be treated mainly with local treatment, and antibiotics may also be used as appropriate depending on the condition. Topical treatments include antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antipruritic and drying. You can use external ointment for sterilization and disinfection, or you can clean it appropriately, but be sure not to press too hard. Let the pustules remain in their natural state. This is the best way to avoid leaving scars. Parents should pay attention and make sure their children clean their faces regularly to avoid bacterial infections and impetigo.