Understanding Impetigo Symptoms On The Face
Impetigo can be an uncomfortable skin condition characterized by red sores and honey-colored crusting. While it often appears on arms and legs, many wonder what impetigo looks like when it develops on the sensitive skin of the face. Getting familiar with facial impetigo helps ensure prompt treatment.
What Does Impetigo Look Like On The Face?
Impetigo causes clusters of sores ranging from tiny blisters to larger red patches that weep clear fluid before developing crusty golden-brown scabbing. These fluid-filled lesions first appear on face around the nose and mouth of infants and young children.
In teens and adults, impetigo sores often concentrate around the chin, cheeks, and lips. They start out as small red bumps that quickly transform into raised weepier blisters measuring around 25 mm.
Facial Impetigo Vs. Cold Sores
Facial impetigo outbreaksoften get mistaken for other skin conditions like cold sores from the herpes simplex virus. While cold sores tend to present as a single blister, impetigo consists of a patch of multiple blisters.
The vesicles and honey-crusted lesions of impetigo also form scattered clusters rather than appearing in one concentrated area. Getting a doctors input helps differentiate between conditions for proper treatment.
What Causes Impetigo On The Face?
Two types of bacteria mainly cause impetigo's bothersome facial lesions: Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Spreading typically occurs through close contact or injuries.
Cuts, Insect Bites, Other Skin Damage
Any skin damage makes facial skin vulnerable to bacteria invasion. Cuts, scrapes, burns, insect bites, eczema patches, and severe acne can provide access for impetigo-causing pathogens.
For infants, areas around a runny nose as well as chapped skin from excessive drool or damp towels can lead to infection. Teens and adults may develop impetigo after waxing upper lips, shaving, dermabrasion treatments, laser resurfacing, or cosmetic fillers.
Spread Through Touching & Shared Items
Direct contact with someone infected easily transmits pus and fluids from open sores. Impetigo bacteria also survive on towels, bed linens, toys, and even classroom objects.
As such, impetigo tends to appear on exposed areas like hands, arms and legs as well as the face. Shared grooming items also spread infection.
Caring For Facial Impetigo
Caring properly for impetigo prevents complications and reduces transmission to others. Without treatment, infection can penetrate deeper skin tissue leading to cellulitis or swollen lymph nodes.
Gently Cleanse Crusted Sores
Gently wash the affected area with antimicrobial soap and water to remove pus, honey-colored crusts, and drainage several times per day. This helps prevent spreading infection to new areas.
Soften stubborn scabbing by applying a warm compress for 10 minutes before cleansing sores. Gently pat dry. Avoid scrubbing or picking at lesions to prevent skin damage and deeper infection.
Apply Antibiotic Cream As Directed
Most cases of facial impetigo clear with topical antibiotics like mupirocin that combat streptococcus and staphylococcus bacteria.
Apply small amounts of ointment inside affected nostrils as well as a thin layer over lesions after cleansing. Cover loosely with sterile gauze if needed to prevent spreading. Take full prescription even if sores heal faster.
Use Antiseptic Soap Regularly
Washing the face and hands several times a day with chlorhexidine gluconate soap helps kill bacteria. This reduces transmission risk from touching infected areas. Shower immediately after sports where skin contacts shared items.
Avoid public pools, play places, contact sports, or cosmetic procedures until lesions fully resolve. Sterilize grooming tools and wash bedding in hot water to prevent reinfection.
When Are Antibiotics Necessary?
In mild cases confined to a small facial area, proper hygiene and topical antibiotics usually suffice. But oral antibiotics become necessary if infection covers a wide area, causes fever, or continues getting worse.
Infection Spreads Beyond Face
If impetigo lesions crop up far from original facial outbreak or appear on various body parts, oral antibiotics prove needed to get infection under control systemically.
This helps keep impetigo from penetrating deeper tissues to become cellulitis. Staph bacteria entering the bloodstream can even cause sepsis without antibiotic intervention.
Fever from Facial Infection
A fever over 101F or 38C signals infection extending into the lymph nodes and bloodstream. Unlike typical impetigo cases, a fever also suggests a superbug staph strain resisting topical antibiotics. Thus prescription oral antibiotics combat bacteria internally.
Leaving fever unchecked makes dangerous complications more likely. Prompt medical treatment prevents additional pus pockets called abscesses from developing under facial skin.
No Improvement Despite Topical Treatment
Facial lesions continuing to weep, spread, and crust over after a week despite careful hygiene and topical antibiotics indicate a stubborn bacterial strain. Switching to oral antibiotic pills or shots prevents lingering infection from becoming severe.
Living in close quarters also makes individual reinfection and transmission to others more likely without stronger systemic medicines. Doctors tailor antibiotic type and dosage to individual cases and symptoms.
Preventing Facial Impetigo Flare-Ups
Once impetigo clears, keeping skin healthy reduces likelihood of repeat outbreaks. Protecting skin from new damage also lowers bacterial infection risks.
Practice Gentle Facial Hygiene
Wash the face twice daily using gentle cleansers without harsh fragrances or soap. Moisturize after cleansing and use only oil-free cosmetic products if necessary.
Shave carefully using clean razors, dont share grooming items with others, and sterilize tools after each use. Avoid touching the face to prevent transferring germs from hands to skin.
Protect Skin Against Further Damage
Keep facial skin intact by always using sun protection outdoors, treating acne early to avoid scarring, and avoiding shared helmets or pillowcases. Covering nose during cold and flu season prevents raw skin from blowing.
Treating dry skin conditions like eczema also prevents cracking that gives bacteria access through damaged barriers. Cover any facial wounds immediately with sterile bandages.
Consult Doctors About Suspicious Sores
Seeing your doctor yearly ensures healthy skin and prompts early treatment for any suspicious changes potentially signaling precancerous growths or lesions prone to infection.
Having a bacterial culture done if sores are weeping, worsening, or not healing within 7 to 10 days confirms if a staph or strep strain needs antibiotic care for quick recovery.
FAQs
What does impetigo look like on your face?
Facial impetigo consists of clusters of small fluid-filled blisters that weep then develop honey-colored crusting. Lesions often appear around the nose, lips, chin, and cheeks.
Can you get impetigo on your face from shaving?
Yes, small cuts or irritation from shaving can allow impetigo-causing staph and strep bacteria to penetrate the skin and trigger infection. Always sterilize razors and shave gently.
Is facial impetigo the same as cold sores?
No. While cold sores stem from the herpes virus and cause a single blister, impetigo results from bacterial infection leading to a patch of multiple blisters that crust over.
When do you need oral antibiotics for facial impetigo?
If gentle cleansing and topical creams don't resolve symptoms within a week, oral antibiotics become necessary. They also treat infection covering a wide area, causing fever, or spreading despite topical treatment.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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