Skin
Impetigo
A highly contagious bacterial skin infection causing red sores, blisters, and honey-colored crusts. Primarily affects children ages 2-8. Spreads by contact and signals lowered immune resistance.
Also known as: Impetigo contagiosa, School sores, Echthyma, ulcer (definition: open sore in tissue lining), lesion (definition: abnormal area of damaged tissue)
📝 At a glance
Likely root causes: Streptococcal bacterial infection entering through skin breaks; Lowered immune resistance allowing normally harmless skin bacteria to cause disease; Nutritional deficiencies (especially vitamin A).
First thing to try: Strengthen the immune systemYour body's built-in defense team that fights off germs and helps you heal. More → through proper nutrition and sanitation.
See a doctor if: See a doctor if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening, or if you are unsure — natural supports are meant to complement, not replace, professional care.
🔎 Start with the cause
Lasting relief rarely comes from covering a symptom. First find what is feeding the problem, change what you can, and then help the body do what it was designed to do — heal.
Likely root causes
- Streptococcal bacterial infection entering through skin breaks
- Lowered immune resistance allowing normally harmless skin bacteria to cause disease
- Nutritional deficiencies (especially vitamin A)
- Food allergies (milk, wheat, soy) weakening immune defense
- Crowded, unsanitary living conditions
- Contact with infected persons or surfaces
Change what you can
- Strengthen the immune systemYour body's built-in defense team that fights off germs and helps you heal. More → through proper nutrition and sanitation.
- Give vitamin C (500–1,000 mg daily with food) and a good multivitamin with adequate vitamin A.
- Apply a wash of boric acid with comfrey, goldenseal, or echinacea to the affected area.
- Apply garlic oil (squeezed from capsules) to the lesions.
- Bathe the area in soapy water every 4 hours during the day.
- For stubborn crusts, apply a mild bleach solution (1 tsp. bleach to 1 quart water) with a drop of dish soap to loosen them.
- After removing crusts, apply alternating hot (110-115 degrees F.) and cold compresses: 3 minutes hot, 30 seconds cold, 5 cycles.
- At night, apply charcoal poultices and leave overnight.
- Expose affected areas to air and sunlight.
- Investigate and eliminate food allergies.
- Practice strict hand hygiene and isolate the child's towels, washcloths, and linens.
- Wash linens daily and boil for 10 minutes.
- Keep fingernails short and clean.
🌿 Then assist nature: remedies & protocols
With the cause being addressed, these are the actual things people do for this — ranked by the community. Vote ▲ on what helped you and ▼ on what didn't, and open How to do it for the steps. Each shows two quick signals: Evidence (how much science backs it) and Gentleness (how safe and in keeping with whole, natural health).
★ Start here — our first-line pick, pinned for safety
Impetigo is a bacterial infection that usually needs antibiotics from a doctor — this gentle care is supportive alongside that treatment, helping keep the area clean and preventing it from spreading to others.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Impetigo is a bacterial skin infection that is highly contagious; gentle washing removes crusts and bacteria-laden discharge from the skin surface, which can support antibiotic treatment and reduce the spread to others.
- Gently wash the affected area with warm water and mild soap several times a day.
- Use a soft cloth to loosen crusts rather than picking at them.
- Pat the area dry with a clean towel reserved only for this use.
- Keep fingernails trimmed short and clean to reduce scratching and spread.
- Wash all linens, towels, and clothing that touch the area in hot water separately from the rest of the household laundry.
5-10 minutes · 3-4 times daily
Caution: Impetigo is very contagious; avoid sharing towels, linens, or close skin contact until treatment has started. Do not pick or scratch at the sores, which can spread the infection to other areas of skin.
When to get help: Seek prompt medical care if the sores spread rapidly, the child develops a fever, the skin around the sores becomes deeply red and swollen (possible cellulitis), or there is no improvement after starting treatment.
Source: Traditional wound-hygiene references
Comments & experiences ▾
Also helps — ranked by the community (vote to reorder)
A comfort measure to use alongside antibiotic treatment from a doctor, not a substitute for it.
How to do it ▾
Why it works: Alternating temperatures can increase local circulation and offer symptom comfort, though it does not replace antibiotic treatment of the underlying bacterial infection.
- After cleansing the area, soak one washcloth in comfortably warm water and hold it on the area for 3 minutes.
- Switch to a washcloth soaked in cool water for about 30 seconds.
- Repeat this cycle 4-5 times.
- Pat the area dry gently afterward and apply any prescribed medication.
- Use a fresh washcloth each session to avoid re-contaminating the skin.
About 15-20 minutes total · Once daily, alongside prescribed treatment
Caution: Test water temperatures on your own wrist first to avoid burns or excessive cold on a child's sensitive skin. Stop if the routine seems to irritate the skin further.
When to get help: Seek prompt medical care if the sores spread rapidly, fever develops, or the skin shows signs of deeper infection.
Source: Traditional hydrotherapy references
Comments & experiences ▾
How the numbers work: a weighted voting system — trusted published sources cast endorsement votes for each protocol, and your ▲/▼ adds to them. Not medical advice.
🩺 When to see a doctor
- See a doctor if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening, or if you are unsure — natural supports are meant to complement, not replace, professional care.
🌿 The seven pathways to health
Seven pathways for your impetigo — tap the circle to check one off (saved on your device), or ask Remy for help.
“Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health... In case of sickness 1cause should be ascertained, 2go to work intelligently to remove the disease. 3Unhealthful conditions should be changed, 4wrong habits corrected. 5Then nature is to be assisted in her effort 6to expel impurities and 7to re-establish right conditions in the system.”
🌿 Overview
Impetigo is a contagious bacterial infection (typically streptococcal) that enters through cuts, abrasions, insect bites, or stings. It produces red patches that become blister-like, fill with straw-colored fluid, and then form distinctive honey-colored crusts over 4-6 days. Most common in children ages 2-8, especially in summer, in crowded or unsanitary conditions, and in undernourished children. Impetigo signals immune depression — the body's defenses are insufficient to prevent normally harmless skin bacteria from causing infection. Neglected impetigo can produce boils, ulcers, or deep tissue infections.
Impetigo is a common and very contagious bacterial skin infection, mainly in young children, causing red sores that quickly blister, burst, and form a characteristic honey-colored crust, often around the nose and mouth. The bacteria enter through minor breaks in the skin, and it spreads easily through touch and shared items.
Because it is a bacterial infection that spreads readily, impetigo is usually treated with antibiotic cream or, if more widespread, oral antibiotics from a doctor, so it is worth getting properly diagnosed rather than relying on home care alone. Alongside treatment, good hygiene limits spread: gentle cleansing of the sores, covering them, frequent handwashing, not sharing towels, and keeping the child home until no longer contagious. Sores that are widespread, worsening, or accompanied by fever warrant prompt medical attention.
Common signs
- Red, irritated patches of skin that quickly blister
- Blisters filled with straw-colored fluid
- Blisters breaking down in 4-6 days to form distinctive honey-colored crusts
- Affected skin may lose color (remain pale) after healing
- Most common on the face, hands, and arms; also legs and feet
- Spreads with scratching
🖼️ Visual guide
James Heilman, MD, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
🍃 Supporting foods & habits
The gentle, everyday foods and supports that help in the background — secondary to the active remedies above. Vote on what helped you.
A cool compress can ease itching (keep the area clean and don't scratch, to avoid spreading it).940
Vitamin-C-rich foods support skin healing alongside proper treatment.920
A warm compress helps gently soften and remove the honey-colored crusts.900
Good general health supports the skin's defenses (impetigo is contagious and usually needs prescribed antibiotic cream — see a doctor).870
Garlic offers gentle antimicrobial support, never a substitute for the antibiotics impetigo usually requires.870
A charcoal poultice is a traditional drawing measure, alongside the medical treatment impetigo needs.690
How the numbers work: this is a weighted voting system — every published book or article recommending a remedy counts as an endorsement vote, and your ▲/▼ counts too. Not medical advice. *Ties are broken by our editor score (sources, safety, simplicity, cost, lifestyle fit, eight-laws alignment).
🍽️ Eating to help
Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.
Ensure nutritious whole-food diet with adequate vitamins A and C. Investigate and eliminate possible food allergens (milk, wheat, soy) for 1-2 weeks to see if they contribute. Avoid junk food, excess sugar, and processed food. Give a good multivitamin supplement, especially for children.
⚖️ Good to know
- Impetigo spreads easily to other parts of the body and to other people — strict hygiene is essential.
- Do not allow the child to swim while infected.
- If the infection spreads rapidly, develops into deeper tissue infection (cellulitis), or does not respond to natural treatment within a week, seek medical evaluation.
- Untreated severe impetigo can cause serious deep skin infections.
⚕️ What a doctor may offerConventional treatments for this condition — for your information.Show ▾
RemedyRank's heart is natural healing — and honest information. Here is what conventional medical care commonly involves for this condition, listed to inform, never to promote. Decisions about treatment belong with you and your own physician.
This contagious skin infection is treated with antibiotics.
Commonly offered
- Topical antibiotic ointment (mupirocin) for limited cases–
- Oral antibiotics for widespread infection–
- Gentle cleansing and covering sores to limit spread–
Worth knowing
- It's very contagious — keep children home until treated.
- Spreading infection or fever needs medical care.
- Rarely, strep impetigo can affect the kidneys — follow up if urine looks dark.
👍/👎 shares whether a treatment helped you — community experience, not medical advice. For full professional details, see the sources under “Learn more” below.
📚 Learn more
Sources for further reading. These open in a new tab.
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