Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffImpetigo treatment can speed healing of the sores, improve the skin's appearance and limit the spread of the infection. How impetigo is treated depends on several factors, including the type of impetigo and the severity of the infection. Treatments include:
- Hygienic measures. Sometimes your doctor may choose to treat minor cases of impetigo with only hygienic measures. Keeping the skin clean can help mild infections heal on their own.
- Topical antibiotics. Your doctor may prescribe a prescription antibiotic that you apply to the affected areas (topical antibiotic), such as mupirocin ointment (Bactroban). Before applying the antibiotic, you need to gently remove any scabs so that the antibiotic can penetrate the sore.
- Oral antibiotics. Antibiotics you take by mouth (oral antibiotics) may be prescribed for widespread impetigo, ecthyma and severe cases of impetigo contagiosa. The specific antibiotic depends on the severity of the infection and any known allergies or medical conditions. Be sure to finish the entire course of medication even if the sores are healed. This helps prevent the infection from recurring and makes antibiotic resistance less likely.
References
- Habif, TP. Bacterial infections. In: Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby, Inc; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/103909824-2/0/1195/53.html?tocnode=51440785&fromURL=53.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50011-X_938. Accessed Aug. 11, 2008.
- Morelli JG. Cutaneous bacterial infections. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/103909824-3/743716949/1608/1552.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50666-6--cesec5_12130. Accessed Aug. 11, 2008.
- Cole C, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of impetigo. American Family Physician. 2007;75(6):859-864, 868.
- Lopez FA, et al. Skin and soft tissue infections. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 2006;20(4):759-772.
- Community-associated MRSA information for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html. Accessed Aug. 11, 2008
- Baddour LM, et al. Impetigo. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 11, 2008.
