What is impetigo?

Impetigo is a common contagious bacterial skin infection.

Red blisters like bumps start appearing on the face around the nose and mouth and then on hands and feet; after some days, these reddish sores fragment into yellow/ honey brown clusters. By touching, it can spread around the other body parts of an infected person and others as well; using the clothes of the infected ones can also be a cause of its spread. 

What are the types of impetigo?

• Contagious impetigo: non-bullous impetigo, a pus-filled or fluid-filled wound that forms a honey-colored scab, sores aren't unpleasant but might be itchy.
• Bullous impetigo: such affect children under two years of age, blisters filled with fluid that cause no pain but sometimes itching.  
• Ecthyma: causes severe skin infection; the sores are filled with pus and bring pain that could go deeper into the skin and cause an ulcer. 

What causes impetigo?

Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes are two bacteria that cause impetigo.

What are the symptoms of impetigo?

• crusts of yellowish skin
• painful pus filles sores