Bullous Impetigo – everything you need to know
Impetigo is a very common skin infection in children. We have a mythological chapter on our website about impetigo, that has been viewed by thousands of parents in the past few years, and it has an explanation about the different types of impetigo infections that exist.
We have bullous impetigo and non-bullous impetigo infections.
The purpose of this short chapter is to share an image that is difficult to get a hold of in a pediatric clinic, and it shows what bullous impetigo looks like in its early stages.
What is the difference between bullous and non-bullous impetigo?
As I mentioned above, follow the link to the chapter here that talks about these differences.
A Dr Efi moment – if impetigo is so common, why was it so difficult for you to get a hold of an image?
I see impetigo in my office almost everyday.
I see bullous-impetigo, less often, maybe every two days.
But to be able to see a child present with a blister (which means bullous) before it has ruptured is not very common.
It is true that we can also see blisters when a child gets a burn, or an insect bite, but for this kid it was a case of bullous impetigo in its early stages.
So, what is it that we’re looking at in these images?
The first image is a bullous impetigo blister, shortly before its rupture.
What does it look like after it has ruptured? This is very common, take a look at the second image.
What is the treatment for bullous impetigo?
Usually, we treat it with oral antibiotics for 7 days. Since it is typically seen on the entire body, topical treatment is not helpful.
Would you like to know more? Find out more about bacterial skin infections here.
In summary, this is a short chapter that started with a nice photo that really got me excited. I hope it will help you detect and treat bullous impetigo quickly.
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