Impetigo is an epidermal condition that is characterized by the appearance of a series of sores on areas of the face, such as the nose and mouth, although they can also occur in other parts of the body, especially in the hands and feet. This skin disease is very contagious and affects mainly children who come into contact with other babies or children infected with impetigo or simply by touching some personal items such as clothes, towels and toys.
Because impetigo is an infection caused by the accumulation of bacteria on the skin, health personnel often assign drugs with antibiotic properties to eliminate these microorganisms.
Risk factors and symptoms of impetigo
As we have said, impetigo is a skin disease that usually affects children and is characterized by the appearance of a series of red sores located mainly on the face. This contagious infection is caused by the entry of bacteria in our body, although according to the Mayo Clinic, there are also a number of factors that increase the risk of suffering impetigo :
- Contact with people infected: as we have said, the impetus is very contagious so it is likely to develop the disease if we touch a person with it or some of their personal belongings.
- Skin lesions: cuts such as cuts, insect bites or skin rashes facilitate the entry of bacteria into the dermis.
- Poor personal hygiene and / or use of aggressive products that change the pH of the skin
- Have chronic diseases such as diabetes or have suffered recent conditions that have reduced the immune system defenses.
- Age: children from 2 to 5 years are more likely to be infected as they frequently visit places of high risk of infection such as schools and day care centers.
Impetigo can appear in our skin in three different ways, so the symptoms will vary depending on what the infected person is suffering from. These are the symptoms of impetigo according to its type :
- Impetigo not blistering: it is the most frequent and is characterized by the appearance of small reddish blisters that burst and become crusts of a brownish tone. They can cause itching and mild pain.
- Bullous impetigo: in this case, the blisters are larger due to the accumulation of a clear liquid and generally remain much longer unexploited.
- Impetigo ectima: in this case, the rashes are full of pus, have more yellowish crusts and are usually surrounded by reddish edges. When penetrating in deeper areas of the skin, the sores cause a much more acute pain than in the rest of the cases.
Home treatment for impetigo – natural remedies
To cure impetigo correctly, it is necessary that we go to the doctor to assign us the most appropriate medications that are usually antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria that cause the disease. However, in addition to taking these drugs, we can also accelerate the healing process of this infection with the following natural remedies, which serve as home treatment for impetigo :
Calendula oil
The calendula oil is a natural remedy for impetigo as it has anti – inflammatory and antiseptic properties on the one hand, it helps relieve itching and pain caused sores, and other disinfects and cleans the wounds accelerating the healing process These rashes.
To use this remedy, you will have to dilute 4-5 drops of this oil in 3 tablespoons of water and then apply the mixture with the help of cotton discs in the area where the eruptions are. Do it between 1-2 times a day.
Aloe Vera Gel
Aloe vera is a very used plant because it has different medicinal properties: on the one hand, it has a great moisturizing power that gives it anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the symptoms of impetigo. And on the other its regenerative and antiseptic effect helps to eliminate the bacteria that cause the disease and accelerates the healing process of the sores causing it to heal properly.
You can extract the gel if you have an aloe vera plant at home or buy it directly extracted in a herbalist. In any case, apply the gel with the help of a cotton wool by the sores without pressing or rubbing. Use this remedy every day until you see results.
Thyme infusion
Thyme is also used as a home treatment of impetigo because it is considered a powerful natural antibiotic, which helps to eliminate the bacteria that are causing the appearance of these sores. To prepare the infusion, simply boil 2 glasses of water and 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme in a pot, letting it sit for 15 minutes with the fire off. Once warm, apply it on the affected areas with the help of some cotton disks.
Foods against impetigo
In addition to the natural remedies that we have explained in the previous section, we can also combat this disease as well as prevent it from appearing again with the following foods:
Foods rich in zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral for any infection because it has immunological properties that help us increase our defenses and strengthen the body to prevent impetigo from reappearing. Although we can find food supplements of this mineral, here is a list of the foods richest in zinc:
Probiotic foods
The probiotic foods are those with a wealth of “good” bacteria, ie, that provide health benefits such as improving our immune system, increase the production of some vitamins and prevent other microorganisms to surface within our body causing infections such as impetigo . Among the probiotic foods that we can try to recover faster from this condition are:
- Dark chocolate
- Miso soup
- Olives
- Sauerkraut (or fermented white cabbage)
- Kefir (or fermented goat’s milk)
- Kombucha tea
Evening primrose oil
The evening primrose oil is a natural product that has a high content of healthy fatty acids, especially omega 6. As a result, this oil has excellent healing and anti – inflammatory properties as helpful in regenerating skin cells damaged by the infection as to relieve symptoms such as itching and pain.
The evening primrose oil you can buy it in any herbalist in the form of capsules or pearls. To have results with it, you will have to take 2 capsules of 500 mg a day spread over meals.
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