Impetigo: Skin Infection

Impetigo is a common type of skin infection and is highly contagious. Most of the time it can appear on the hands, neck and face in children, Impetigo occurs rarely in adults but it is a sign of a more severe skin condition. There are many types of Impetigo: Impetigo Contagiosa, Bullous Impetigo, and Ecythma but out of all of these Ecythma is the most serious because it damages the second layer of the skin. People with Ecythma will have painful blisters that may turn into ulcers, scars and swollen lymph nodes might also occur. Two percent of the population is affected by impetigo; people with impetigo can suffer uncomfortable and embarrassing symptoms. Symptoms can include itchy rashes, skin lesions, fluid- filled blisters, and red sores that leave a yellow crust.
It’s more likely for a child to get impetigo after he/she has had a cold, it can also appear on people with healthy skin. Most of the time children are infected by a cut, insect bite, etc. Impetigo symptoms do not appear as soon as the person has been touched by an individual with the disease. It takes at least four to ten days for the bacteria to reach the immune system, during the days people can unknowingly spread the infection to others because they do not know they are