Should I use this page, or skip it?
Use this page if golden crusts have appeared on the face or hands and you need a pharmacist, school rules, and red flags. Skip it and call 999 if the face or an eye is swelling rapidly or you are severely unwell. Use 111 if spreading redness is hot and painful with fever.
This page cannot tell cold sores from impetigo in a photo.
What is impetigo and what does it look like?
Impetigo is a bacterial skin infection that is very contagious but not usually serious. It starts as red sores or blisters — redness can be harder to see on brown and black skin — which burst and leave golden-brown crusts, often around the nose, mouth or hands. It can itch. A less common blistering form oozes yellow fluid.
It often gets in through cuts, insect bites, or eczema.
Can I see a pharmacist first?
Yes, for many people. In England, Pharmacy First can treat some impetigo without a GP appointment if you fit the pathway. Eligibility applies — including age — so ask rather than assuming. Babies often need a GP. The pharmacist checks for a deeper infection, then treats or sends you on.
Scotland has NHS Pharmacy First Scotland, Wales a Common Ailments Service, and Northern Ireland Pharmacy First NI. Find a GPhC-registered pharmacy on Pick My Pharmacy.
How is it treated and when can they go back to school?
Treatment is usually a cream or, if it is more widespread, antibiotic tablets. Follow the course you are given even if it looks better. NHS advice is that it stops being contagious 48 hours after starting that treatment, or when patches dry and crust over if you do not get treatment. Stay off work, school or nursery until then.
Wash hands, do not share towels, and wash bedding hot. Try not to scratch.
When is it 111 or 999?
Use 111 if the area is becoming more red, hot and painful, redness is spreading, or you develop a fever. Call 999 or go to A&E if you are severely unwell, confused, or the face or an eye is swelling rapidly. See a GP if it keeps returning, a baby is affected, or you have a weakened immune system.
In England, Scotland and Wales call 111 (NHS 24 in Scotland). In Northern Ireland there is no general 111 — use GP out-of-hours on nidirect. See pharmacy, GP, 111 or A&E if you are stuck on the door.
How do I stop impetigo spreading at home?
Wash hands often, do not share towels or flannels, and wash bedding and clothes at a high temperature. Wash toys that have been in mouths. Avoid close contact with newborns and people with a weakened immune system while it is contagious. Do not prepare food for others or play contact sport until it is no longer infectious.
Keep nails short and try not to scratch — that also reduces scarring. If it keeps coming back, a GP may swab the skin or nose. Get treatment for eczema or scabies if broken skin is the way in.
When is impetigo more than a simple crust?
If redness is spreading, the skin is hot and increasingly painful, or you have a fever, it may be a deeper infection such as cellulitis — use 111. Rapid swelling of the face or around an eye is 999. Impetigo on the breasts while breastfeeding, or in someone on chemotherapy, needs a GP rather than a pharmacy-only plan.
Babies often need a GP rather than Pharmacy First. Eligibility applies — ask rather than assuming. Follow the course you are given even if it starts to look better.
Who should skip this page?
Skip this page if the face is already swelling or you are systemically very unwell — that is urgent care. It is not a chickenpox page, not a scabies itch map, and not a substitute for a GP when impetigo keeps coming back. Breastfeeding with sores on the breast needs a clinician.
Common questions about impetigo
- How do you catch impetigo?
- Through close contact with someone who has it, or via towels, flannels, clothing or toys. The bacteria often get in through broken skin — cuts, insect bites or eczema patches. It can also spread to other parts of the same person's body. It is not a sign of poor hygiene, but sharing towels keeps it going.
- Can a pharmacist treat impetigo in England?
- Yes, for many people who fit the Pharmacy First pathway. Eligibility applies, including age, so ask rather than assuming. Babies often need a GP. The pharmacist checks it is not a deeper infection such as cellulitis, then supplies treatment or sends you on. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own pharmacy schemes.
- When can my child go back to school?
- Follow NHS exclusion advice: stay off school, nursery or work until the patches have dried and crusted, or until 48 hours after starting the treatment a pharmacist or GP has given. Do not share towels. Wash hands often. The setting may still ask you to confirm the timing — use the NHS wording, not a guess.
- How is impetigo treated?
- A pharmacist or GP may offer an antiseptic cream or antibiotic cream or tablets. Follow the course you are given, even if it starts to look better. Do not stop early. Keep nails short and try not to scratch. A GP may swab the skin or nose if it keeps coming back.
- How do I stop impetigo spreading at home?
- Wash hands often, do not share towels or flannels, and wash bedding and clothes at a high temperature. Wash toys that have been in mouths. Avoid close contact with newborns and people with a weakened immune system while it is contagious. Do not prepare food for others or play contact sport until it is no longer infectious.
- When is impetigo more serious?
- If redness is spreading, the skin is hot and increasingly painful, or you have a fever, it may be a deeper infection such as cellulitis — use 111. Rapid swelling of the face or around an eye is 999. Impetigo on the breasts while breastfeeding, or in someone on chemotherapy, needs a GP rather than a pharmacy-only plan.