Help with Impetigo

I don't know the answer but please don't bleach his toys. The chemical in bleach in cancerous. You can clean them with the mix of vinegar and baking soda.

I did some research on Impetago in the past (when I had it) and from what I read it is a superficial bacterial skin condition- that can even be cleaned with regular household soap. I used tea tree oil. One poster said to go get antibiotics - this is not necessary for empetago and would be BAD for his gut. Antibiotics wipe out your good gut flora, leading to absorption problems, vit deficiencies and pathogens that will flourish when there is no good bacteria to keep it in check.They should only be used when absolutely necessary.

I got empetago from digging in my flower garden on a 100 degree day. The heat opened up my pores, I wiped the sweat away, and introduced the dirt on the back of my hand onto my forehead and open pores. (we had put chicken manure in the dirt a year earlier, but the bacteria was still there).

Most likely the child's pores are opening up, due to the heat and moisture around the pacifier. Constant wetness from drool - Yeast love this moist condition. YEAST might be the problem or at least a contributing factor in the failure to heal, especially if any skin appears cracked. Impetago usually has an ulcery apperance with orangish crusting in the superficial layers of skin, whereas cracked skin, and maybe reddish dots type rash is usually a yeast condition. Yeast, when it has a hospitable environment, will take hold and it puts up a HECK of a fight. yeast live in the mouth anyway. You can try to bring down the yeast content of his saliva. I give my kids Oregano oil drops,2-3 drops twice a day under the tounge. Try to keep the mouth area washed and dried, and then you can try a thick layer of A and D medicated diaper balm.

Cracked lips, canker sores, mouth and tounge sores, can be caused by a vitamin B deficiency- and since our body doesn't store b vits and sugar kills them, b complex vitamins are a good idea anyway (wallmart carries the liquid kind in drops). Cracks at the sides of lips can be caused by folic acid deficiency and also a yeast growth problem (I usually get it when I wear lipstick). I have found that borax is quite a good antiyeast/antibacterial. I used to use nystatin on the sides of my lips, but sometimes it would take days to work. I made a paste out of 3 parts borax and 1 part coconut oil and put it on my mouth cracks at night- it wiped out my mouth cracks in one day. This paste, made into small balls (suppositories) and put in the fridge for storage, works wonders for vaginal yeast infections that keep recurring or even bacterial vaginitis or recurring vagintits that resists standard treatment.

If you work with cats during the day, try to change your clothes when you get home and wash your forarms. Cats can carry bacteria called Bartonella that causes Cat Scratch Fever. (it is not that uncommon, I have known 2 people who have had it). Bartonella rashes many times show in scratch like streaks,(hense the name cat scratch) but can be blistering or unlcering, red or hot , with out the scratch look as well. Enlarged lymph nodes and sometimes a mild fever or headache may accompany it. You can pick it up by having a scratch already and getting cat saliva or blood in the scratch,or by being licked or scratched. 50 % of cats carry it and show no illness symptoms. Most sites will say it is not contageous from person to person, but I have read a few sites that say you can pick it up from the flea excrement that is on the fur of the cat and it gets into an opening in the skin somehow. Blood tests can find Bartonella.

Hi M.,

When I was a teenager was diagnosed with impetigo. I would only get the sores around my mouth and mostly just below the corners of my mouth. In my 20's I was properly diagnosed with oral dermatitis. I'm not saying your son has it but you might want to have his dr. double check - just to be sure.

Good luck!
T.

Impetigo is really hard to deal with. My older son got it when he was about 5. We eventually had to treat it with antibiotics, after we couldn't get rid of it, and a year later it came back, after he got another scratch in the same area (it was on his forehead). There are all kinds of home remedies, but we found that the antibiotics were necessary to knock it out. I think when kids get it, they tend to scratch it, because it's itchy, and they spread it around.

Being that impetigo needs to usually be treated by antibiotics, I would make an appt with his pedi in the morning.

Get rid of the pacifier and bottle, he is too old and this will help in not getting the skin breakdown and constant moisture. Good handwashing and using a clean towel each time will also help.

the skin is a direct reflection of the gut. rashes means something is amiss in the digestive track. if you can, i'd go visit a homeopathic or holistic doctor and have some conversation about your son's skin. also, do some on-line research on the GAP Syndrome and poke around on the Wise Tradition Journals to see if they have information about impetigo. unhealthy gut can be corrected with diet change and probiotics.

good luck!

Hi there,
My son caught impetigo around his mouth this past December. He had the oozie red patches and the characteristic "honey colored crusts". We tried just keeping it clean and using hydrogen peroxide. It worked ok, but it didn't go away. Finally, we ended up using the antibacterial cream the doc prescribed and it worked somewhat. After stopping the cream, the oozieness and honey colored crusts went away but the dryness and redness didn't. Because the characteristics of impetigo went away, we knew it wasn't impetigo anymore. We started using neosporn to help the redness and slight sores. That also helped for awhile. In the meantime, we noticed that our son seemed to carry some saliva on the corners of his mouth. My husband suggested that we keep vaseline on it constantly to help heal the dryness and redness. Vaseline has worked like a charm. No more redness, or dryness. So I believe that he had impetigo at first, but then the redness and dryness (and slight sores) came from his saliva. Now since the vaseline coats his mouth, the saliva cannot irritate his skin.
Thats my little run in with impetigo and my little two cents.
M.

Have him checked for Strep throat. Impetigo is a common infection with strep and if it is undiagnosed it will keep coming back. Also, the cats and your hygeine around the house. Clean everything. Impetigo is very contagious, go on the web and research it. He may need antibiotics to get it out of his system. It is a bacteria not a virus so it will respond to amoxicillin. My son had it with strep. It used to be common is schools. I'll be if you take him to the dr and get the medication and go over the entire house you will have better luck. Don't just focus on the toys, get him a new toothbrush etc.

My son kept getting an oozing crusty sore (sorry for the gross details) on his chin area and we finally realized it was from contact with the material on his life vest. Could your son be having a reaction with the plastic of the cups and pacifier?

I have only dealt with impetigo once with a daycare child I had. The doctor said that it often times comes from cats. I noticed that you work with cats. Do you have any? The doctor I spoke with said that it is on their paws and sometimes even their skin. Just a thought. I don't know much but that was what I was told about a year ago. Could be something to look into. Good luck! =)

I dont know if this is relevent, but my daughter got it once, and she was going through the eating the dog foodd faze. I realized there was dog drool there. If you have a dog, beware.

My sister in law used Safegard soap on her dighter Aparently there ia a chemical Safeguard uses that seems to help.
Good Luck
J.

I whole heartedly second everything Gail B. said.

My daughter has had a number of bouts with impetigo. The first time yeast was involved so I handled that as well as the bacteria. After that, I encouraged her to use an all natural lip balm and drink copious amounts of water to keep the lips moist. I also found high quality Vitamin E oil helped if I caught it early enough. She was getting it when she would go to visit her father in Las Vegas where the air is very dry and her diet isn't as good as I would like.