What should you know about impetigo spreading on body?

Impetigo can move when fingers carry bacteria from a sore to another scratched or irritated area. Drainage can contaminate towels, clothing, bedding or razors, allowing contact with another body site. New lesions may be small blisters, shallow sores or crusted patches, and they can appear beyond the original area.

Existing itchy skin, including atopic dermatitis, can create repeated breaks in the protective barrier. Crusting skin has several possible causes, however, so expanding lesions should be examined rather than identified from appearance alone.

Keep affected areas clean, dry and covered with a clean dressing when practical. Wash hands before and after skin care, keep nails short, and avoid scratching or peeling crusts. Use separate towels, bedding, clothing and grooming items, and wash anything that becomes contaminated. Clean high-touch surfaces if drainage has contacted them.

Contact a clinician when new areas continue to appear, when several sites are involved, or when home measures are difficult to maintain. Treatment may involve topical antibiotic therapy for suitable localised disease or antibiotics for skin infection when broader treatment is needed.

Seek prompt medical care for fast expansion, increasing warmth, swelling or pain, fever, pus, or feeling faint or unwell. Seek urgent help if the eye is swollen, vision changes, confusion develops or swallowing becomes difficult. Earlier review is appropriate for infants and people with diabetes or reduced immunity.

Ask whether the new sites fit impetigo, whether treatment needs changing, how to dress multiple areas, and when you can return to close contact. Tell the clinician how quickly the sites appeared, whether scratching is severe, and which household items may have touched the sores.