Facial skin which is affected by impetigo is aesthetically disturbed, aside from being itchy and burning. To treat this skin disorder, which commonly affects children and infants, either topical or oral antibiotics may be helpful. These medications are researched to be able to cut down the healing period from two to three weeks into ten consecutive days. While topical antibiotics may not influence the risk of having recurrent impetigo effects as oral antibiotics do, some people might get skin allergies with the application.

Impetigo infection on face

Two types of impetigo—the non-bullous and bullous impetigo may cause breakouts on facial skin. Bacterial infection causes impetigo which is signed by either crusted blisters or large, watery blisters around the facial skin. In most cases, impetigo occurs around the mouths, nose, eyes, and forehead, although it may also affect the neck, back, and other areas around the face.

The causative bacteria infect the skin in two main ways:

• Through a break on the skin, which can be resulted from cuts, insect bites, and other skin injuries.
• Through skin damage which is resulted from underlying skin condition, such as psoriasis, eczema, scabies, or rosacea.

When a person—a child and adult suffers from skin illnesses, their immune system gets weakened by infesting bacteria or virus. This enables bacteria all over the skin to multiply and grow excessively, causing visible effects to the skin, such as blisters, crusted skin, pimples, or rash.

Impetigo on the face might also affect the nasal area and thus, is coined as nasal impetigo. This kind of impetigo is triggered by the symptom of runny nose suffered by the patient. The sensitive skin on the nasal lining is aggravated by nasal drippings when someone has a runny nose, causing irritation that occurs as impetigo. Nasal impetigo causes blisters or rash around the openings of the nose which are very uncomfortable.

Treat impetigo on face naturally

Face and the skin all over it is delicate and more sensitive than the skin located on the other body parts. Hence, whatever treatments you decide to use to heal impetigo on the face, it should be cautiously concerned, especially when harsh topical medications are involved. If you are having or noticing mild symptoms of impetigo on the face, it may be better to use home remedies rather than relying on medications with unwanted side effects. Some effective home remedies for impetigo on face include:

• Clean the face regularly

  • Use anti-bacterial face wash for cleansing the affected area.
  • Do not scrub the area. Otherwise, gently pat it to spread the soap. Scrubbing an affected skin will not only cause more severe irritation, but also be able to spread the causative bacteria.

• Use vinegar solution

  • The acidic vinegar will eliminate infesting bacteria, remove scabs, and promote healing.
  • You can either soak the face onto a bowl of warm water which is added a teaspoon of vinegar, or wipe the affected area gently with a cotton ball soaked in this solution.

• Avoid picking at or touching the impetigo-affected area

• Warm compresses

  • Prepare a bowl of lukewarm water and add a teaspoon of salt.
  • Soak a clean towel into the solution and press it dry.
  • Hold the towel against the impetigo-affected facial skin for several minutes and repeat several times.
  • Repeat the treatment three times a day or more until the effects subside.

• Heat therapy

  • The idea is that heat weakens the infesting bacteria and eventually kills them. This will get rid of impetigo when done regularly and properly.
  • You can either use a blow dryer or an iron to perform the treatment.
  • If you use a blow dryer:
    • Hold it 30cm away from the face. Do not hold it too close to the face as it may cause burns.
    • Turn the instrument on and thoroughly blow dry the affected area for one minute. Take a break and repeat for several times.
  • If you use an iron:
    • Turn the iron and set it to maximum heat.
    • Iron a clean, dry towel.
    • Put the towel against your affected facial skin for a minute and repeat.
    • Continue the treatment until the sore dries up and the itching subsides.