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Impetigo won't go

2 replies

neolara · 20/04/2015 18:44

My dd (10) has had impetigo virtually constantly since December. She initially got it on her face quite badly and was treated with strong oral and topical antibiotics. We were crap and she only took them for 7 days instead of the 10 she should have done. I now realise this was VERY SILLY and we will never not complete a course of antibiotics again.

Nevertheless, the impetigo cleared up, only to return 3weeks later in various patches. Again she was given oral antibiotics and it cleared up. Very soon after, she got a hideous chest infection and the impetigo came back on the side of her mouth. The antibiotics she was given for the chest infection cleared up her mouth. However, a few weeks later she developed eczema on her eye lid which turned into impetigo, alongside impetigo on the sides of her mouth. We were given topical cream which sorted out her eyes and mouth, but a few days after stopping the cream it started to come back on her mouth. She had used the cream for two and a half weeks instead of the one week recommended. The GP then recommended an alternative antibiotic cream but this doesn't even keep it under check while she has been taking it. We're at the end of the course and it's still visible at the side of her mouth.

Any ideas what else might work? She's had three courses of heavy duty oral antibiotics, weeks of topical treatment and it's still hanging around. Am beginning to feel slightly desperate.

OP posts:
KurriKurri · 20/04/2015 19:52

Have they swabbed it to make sure it is definitely impetigo? I only ask because I had something similar on my face, diagnosed as impetigo which wouldn't clear up after lots of antibiotics, also got worse if I was stressed or under the weather - anyway eventually got an alternative diagnosis of sebborrhoic dermatitis which is treated with anti fungal cream - and it cleared up after that. Hope she is better soon.

FrontLoader · 20/04/2015 21:00

We had a very similar situation last year, with DD and DS getting repeated bouts of impetigo over several weeks. They had to have 6 weeks of oral antibiotics (erithromycin) plus fucidin cream. It was not much fun! Our GP sent off swabs to the microbiologist at our local hospital to check the strain would respond to the antibiotics. If it hadn't shifted, she would have referred us all for decolonisation.

You have my sympathies- it was very wearing having to keep the kids in quarantine and constantly boil wash towels. I started using laundry disinfectant on everything, which I think helped. Also got rid of the bath mat, got new bath sponges every couple of days.

DS is still prone to the occasional outbreak, but we have fucidin on standby to put on as soon as we spot any impetigo developing.

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