Impetigo Service

Impetigo is a skin infection that's very contagious but not usually serious. It often gets better in 7 to 10 days if you get treatment. Anyone can get it, but it's very common in young children.

This is an NHS-funded service available for children aged 1 and over.

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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.

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 bigger
spread to other parts of your body
be itchy
sometimes be painful

Treatment for Impetigo

If it's impetigo, we can prescribe antibiotic cream to speed up your recovery or antibiotic capsules if the lesions are widespread.

How to avoid Impetigo

Impetigo usually infects skin that's already damaged.

To avoid spreading the infection to other areas of your body and to other people:

keep cuts, scratches and insect bites clean – for example, by washing them with warm water and soap
get treatment for skin conditions, like eczema

Cost

The pharmacist consultation is provided by NHS England and is free of charge. If you require antibiotics you can get them for free if you are entitled to free NHS prescriptions or will have to pay the standard NHS prescription charge if you pay for your medication.

For more details: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/impetigo