Impetigo on the skin of children: How to treat?

Impetigo is a very common skin infection, especially in children aged 2 to 6 years. Impetigo occurs when bacteria such as staphylococcus or streptococcus enter the skin through an open wound such as a cut or scrape. The disease often appears in the summer, in places where living conditions are unhygienic and densely populated. The prevalence of the disease is higher in boys than in girls.

Children with impetigo often have symptoms such as:
On the skin appear a bunch of small red blisters that blister, turn pus quickly, then these blisters burst and spread. Depending on the type of bacteria that causes impetigo in children, the nature of the blisters can vary in size. The skin around the blisters may become red.

The blisters usually appear around the nose and mouth but can also appear on the arms, legs or other areas of the body. The disease presents with a single lesion or multiple lesions. Patients may have fever, fatigue, and swollen glands. After the blisters burst, the pus dries to form a honey-yellow scab. Skin infections can spread to other areas by scratching or scratching.

Impetigo in children is a very contagious disease. Children can get impetigo by touching the impetigo of a previously ill child or by touching objects that an infected child has touched such as toys, towels, clothing, bed linens, etc. School and Child care facilities are the most contagious places for impetigo, especially when the weather is warm and humid.
Children with impetigo can also be caused by bacteria already on the surface of the child's skin, when the child's skin has scratches, bacteria will have favorable conditions to penetrate and cause infection. Bacteria can also enter through eczema, insect bites, sores,...

"Is your child dangerous?". Impetigo in children is usually not dangerous, sores in the form of mild infections are usually benign and do not leave scars. However, in rare cases, children with impetigo can develop complications such as:
Cellulitis : The skin infection becomes severe, affecting the tissues under the skin, spreading to the lymph nodes and blood. . If left untreated, it can be life-threatening. Scarring: Usually occurs when bacteria penetrate deeper into the skin, causing deep ulcers filled with pus, which after treatment can leave scars. Nephritis: The bacteria that cause impetigo in children can invade and affect kidney function. Therefore, prompt treatment of impetigo in children is very important. If the infection is very mild, your doctor may advise you to simply keep the infected area of ​​your child's skin clean and let it go away on its own. However, in most cases, your doctor will prescribe oral and topical antibiotics to treat the infection. Using antibiotics should pay attention to 5 principles of safe antibiotic use to achieve effective treatment and prevent bacteria from returning.
Need to keep the skin affected by impetigo by washing with soap and warm water, then pat dry with a clean towel. Paper towels can be used, then thrown in the trash after each use.
Children with impetigo need to have their nails trimmed to avoid scratching the damaged skin, scratching will cause skin infections to spread to other areas of the body or to other people. After applying antibiotics, you can cover the infected area with a gauze bandage (a liquid bandage is recommended) to limit the spread of infection.
If after 3 days, the treatments are not effective, the child has a fever or the skin infection becomes more serious, you should take the child to see the doctor again so that the doctor can change the treatment direction.

If the child with impetigo is not treated, the child is very contagious to those around him. When the child is treated with antibiotics, the skin lesions begin to heal, the child is no longer at risk of infection. While waiting for your child to heal, avoid situations where he or she is in close contact with other people. Keep your child out of school while he or she has impetigo. Family members do not share soap, towels, hairbrushes, or other personal items with children. When applying medicine to children, please wear gloves and then wash your hands. Wash children's clothes, bed sheets and towels daily. Keeping your skin clean is the best way to avoid impetigo. When there are scratches on the skin, insect bites, etc., wash them with antiseptic solutions. Make sure family members wash their hands often with soap, then dry their hands with a clean towel. In the process of taking care of children who need consultation and examination, you can take your child to the Pediatrics Department at Vinmec General Hospital for advice and examination by experts. Here, based on the diagnosis results, the doctor will have a treatment method for each specific case to bring the best effect.

Reference source: babycenter.com