Home Remedies for Impetigo

I have been struggling with impetigo for 6 months or more. In the fall/winter of 2016 I had strep back to back, and my theory is that the bacteria laid in waiting and slowly broke down my already weak immune system, aka my microbiome, and has become very resistant to antibiotics as I see is the case with many people whom have issues with recurring impetigo.

It started out as what I thought was a small, re occurring spot of acne on the bottom left side of my face between my chin and lower lip. As the months went by it would grow a bit more every time it came back, then recede. I really thought nothing of it until about three months ago I had a cookie baking party with some friends one night, ate WAY too many cookies, and then the next morning I woke up with four huge blisters on my lips, two on each, that broke and oozed everywhere.

I ran straight to the walk in clinic where I was given the standard topical antibiotic, mupirocin, which seemed to rein it in and I thought all would be well.
After a few days I could tell the cream wasn't working as effectively, and it started to flare again.

Back to the doctors I went for an oral antibiotic this time, which yet again, seemed like it was helping at first, but as time went on it began to spread again. Back to the doctors and she gave me prednisone since I had just come off of a run of antibiotics and she didn't want to start another immediately, hoping that if the inflammation went down then it would have a chance to dissipate on its own.

Yet again, looked great and like it was improving, yet as soon as I started tapering off the pred as instructed it started flaring again.

BACK to the doctors again for a strong 500 ciproxin prescription, yet again, never fully went away. It would clear most of the way but the skin would be slightly pink and texturally different in that SAME spot on my chin. At this point I gave up on what modern medicine had to offer me. After all, they're just taught to throw a prescription at it.

As far as controlling it spreading and peeling, ESPECIALLY at night I used honey! I purchased a honey gel made with Leptospermum honey on amazon for pretty cheap and it has been a HUGE LIFESAVER! It helps with wound healing however, I could tell that while it helped control it and heal the skin, I could still feel the bacteria was thriving, the redness was still there, etc. It helped the surface issue but the real problem was much deeper, with my gut flora.

I started reading everything I could on impetigo and it's resistance to antibiotics. I realized that my impetigo was heavily tied in with my dietary choices. Carbs and sugar=unhappy gut=unhappy immune system=no ability to fight off this little ----.

I started taking a strong probiotic, after reading a lot about them. Most probiotics don't ever make it past your acidic stomach, so I chose one that supports the immune system and uses time release to make sure it gets DEEP into the gut where it can actually help. You can feel it, hear the gas, and really know its working! First couple of days I did experience a herxheimer reaction, flu like symptoms of an elevated heart rate, nausea, and fatigue. But as the days went I paired this with lots of cruciferous vegetables, and clean mostly vegan meals overall. Tofu veggie scramble, lots of fiber, low sugar. I cannot stress enough how much diet affects this terrible condition! I also towards the end started to use grapefruit seed oil, adding 10-15 drops to my water 3x a day and sometimes topically, however it did seem to add a bit of redness or irritation, I'm not sure if this effected my healing process because it was added so near the end when it had mostly all cleared up. I will continue to eat well, take my probiotic daily, and also drink GSE and Golden seal water now as well, to hopefully stave it off from coming back!

I have now had a few weeks of relief and a normal looking face. The discolored spot on my chin is now flat and very very light pink, dead skin is coming off every day as it fills in and heals, hopefully completely and for good! Good luck to any and all of you suffering from this, the western modern medical community is blind to this and other antibiotic resistant bacteria's' on the front line! Stay strong and eat your dark leafy greens!

Impetigo:

Greetings. I feel compelled to share my harrowing journey about this dreadful temporary illness. About a month ago I noticed that I had a strange outbreak of eczema on my face, neck, and ears. I did everything I could to counteract it. I was going through a tremendous amount of stress as my youngest son was about to move into his own apartment and I was embarking on a whole new life of my own in another part of town.

On moving day I then noticed sores on both sides of my mouth. I was horrified and continued using essential oils, avoiding dairy and gluten, and whatever other things I could think of. Nothing worked. It eventually spread to two thirds of my entire face and I could barely open my mouth without it bleeding on the corners. I realized that I would have to miss work since I work in the schools. I went to the allopathic doctor and he had no clue. I talked to a holistic doctor over the phone later that day and he was convinced that I had shingles-and that although I couldn't remediate them I could possibly ease the symptoms to ride it out. I then scoured the internet and especially this website for remedies.

I tried cayenne pepper, L-lysine, vitamin C, aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, and nothing worked to help ease the symptoms. For some reason my shingles were not behaving like all other people's shingles. They were only on my face (both sides) and itched like the devil. I resorted to wearing a hospital face mask in order to leave my house so that I would not scare the people. After a couple more doctor visits and being out of work another week I got another diagnosis. Impetigo!! I have now been out for my third week from work and I want to share what I am using to help out.

Now I will first state that nothing is worse than itching. Pain is a relief in comparison to itching and what I used gave me definite relief. Don't take my suggestions blindly. Take my word and research it yourself. Better yet pray or meditate on it to see if it resonates with you and your symptoms before implementing any of what I say. I went to the health food store and the woman working there was helpful enough to suggest that I get Bee Propolis (alcohol free) and Calendula Gel.

In addition to this, I purchased some good quality coconut oil. The coconut oil I had been using, although supposedly organic from the grocery store, was worthless. I also purchased some Colloidial Silver and Grapefruit Seed Extract pills.

In order to relieve the mind numbing itch I first take a shower with very warm water. This allows the crusted gross stuff that oozes out of your pores to be gently washed off. Do not use a wash cloth! Use only your hands and wash them right after you touch your face. Every time you touch the oozing skin to another you are spreading the disease and will get another outbreak. However, since it will itch like you've never itched before, this will be very soothing. Heat has a way of giving definite temporary relief. Also, I have noticed that it is mainly the dead skin and the dried up puss that is one of the main things causing the itch. After getting out of the shower do not use a towel on the affected areas. Use a hair dryer directly above it, being careful not to burn your skin. Again, the heat will soothe the itch and will make the oozing dry up faster. I then placed the propolis on first, then the coconut oil, then the calendula gel, being sure to wash my hands between each step. Expect it to sting, but this sensation will give definite relief. I did this every few hours or when the itching returned. There will still be some itching. My skin felt like ants were crawling under the surface of my skin and this is horrifying if you don't have things to distract yourself with.

Now unfortunately, I had to return to a doctor because after missing this much work things could really get ugly. The dermatologist prescribed an antibiotic, Cephalexin 500 (generic for Keflex) and I totally got wigged out. I've read so many horror stories about antibiotics it's ridiculous. So after doing some research I decided to take the antibiotic as prescribed BUT I do take it with decaffeinated green tea containing cayenne pepper. There have been studies that this will enhance it so that it actually works. I'm also cutting out sugars while taking it. Additionally, I'm also eating raw ginger in the mornings which will also kill the bacteria.

So I take the antibiotic four times a day, taking two grapefruit seed extract pills three times a day in between with my green tea mixture. I also am continuing the propolis, coconut oil, and calendula directly on the affected area. You could take a half dropper full of colloidal silver a couple times a day. Do not expect any of this to taste great. It will not, but it could give you the relief that you need. When I am done with my course of the antibiotic I will be taking a good quality probiotic. Taking an antibiotic with a probiotic only confuses the body and encourages bad results. Take it after the antibiotic and continue to eat high quality foods, cutting out sugar as much as you can. I will also take baths with apple cider vinegar to kill any possible yeast infections and eventually use raw aloe vera on my face.

I will be returning to work next week, thank goodness, because I finally look human again. I know this was a really long post but I hope and pray that it gives assistance to those in need. God Bless.

I read every post in this thread. I have gotten impetigo twice on my chin from already aggravated eczema. I went to Disneyland twice and it was super busy both times, despite frequent hand washing and being winter and almost completely covered I contracted it twice!

The first time I went to the doctor because it started as a small itchy bump and spread. I put tea tree on it as it's my go to, but the tea tree I had wasn't great. From there I covered with a bandage. The bandage irritated my skin and it spread as bumps that then burst and formed scabs. The doctor put me on an antibiotic for staph and strep skin infections, and bandages infused with silver. It was itchy and I cleaned it with an antibac soap but it continued to spread for a week. I finished my antibiotics and the original spot was healed but I had it up the side of my face. And throat. I bought better tea tree, grape fruit seed extract oil and a tincture for internal use. It itched like crazy even though I mixed it with aloe and eventually jojoba. I also took turmeric in warm soy two times a day for the last three days. It cleared up taking a total of three weeks.

Fast forward three weeks later and after another day at disney I saw the same red splotch crop up and I went directly for tea tree and gse Internally and the oil on the area. It started to spread with another part popping up so I waged serious warfare as I can't live like this for another three weeks.

My methods-

Wash wash with medical grade antibacterial solution in early stage- wash affected area, and wash around the area. The soap is really drying!

While it's still wet, pour hydrogen peroxide on it, let it bubble. It itches and stings but it works. Pat dry, no rubbing! The first time I soaked and scrubbed off the scabs and it spread like wildfire. I found actually washing less and just disinfecting helped it be contained.

After the hydrogen peroxide, I covered the areas affected in pivoine iodine, with separate cotton pads, then the area all around with yet another cotton pad.

For the dried itchy areas without sores, I rotate between calendula, jojoba and coconut oil.

On the sores, I initially started with gse, iodine, and black walnut tincture. They seemed a little effective but then I found the thing that seemed to help the most-

18+ manuka honey. Really expensive but a little goes a long way! I put too much on just as a salve and it started dripping. For bed I covered again the sores and around the sores with iodine, then made a bandage our of gauze, applied a thin layer of honey to the gauze and then apploed to my face with the aid if sensitive skin bandages, since last time the irritation from the bandages gave me pimples which in turn got infected by the impetigo. I used coconut oil around so the bandages didn't stick so well, but it was just for sleeping with.

During the day I alternate between manuka and coconut oil on the sores, and continue to disinfect with hydrogen peroxide and iodine.

has it worked? The difference on healing between the doctors prescribed methods and my home remedies has cut two weeks of healing and suffering. I have scabs and no spreading or bumps or pimples, and the areas appear to be getting smaller. I'm on day three and I'm taking a teaspoon of manuka honey also on an empty stomach and eating a diet of organic foods and lots of veg and little sugar. I hope my story helps someone!

Oh and for references am a 30 year old female, both times I caught impetigo were really cold days and my immune system was low from just having been sick both times. I am a lifetime eczema and allergy sufferer, and I recently started taking algae supplements for suspected low thyroid function. I take a tincture of gse in water daily but have upped it to two times daily due to the impetigo. I'm going to get food allergy tested to try to cure the eczema so that my immune system can be stronger to fight these nasty bugs!

good luck to everyone!

For impetigo I use Manuka honey straight onto my face as a face wash and then a salve. It kills the bacteria, sloughs off the scabbing naturally without irritaion and provides a barrier from it spreading. You can get varying strengths of Manuka Honey, I use Active 12

Do not try to use regular pasteurized, store-brand honey. It does not contain the antimicrobial properties that Manuka Honey does and will not work. To boot if you have used antibiotic creams they have a side effect of creating a fungal environment when used too long and regular honey not having the properties to kill this will only feed it and make it worse.

At night I use a carrier oil with essential oil blend in it specifically for Impetigo.

Olive Oil
Jojoba Oil (Close to skin sebum)
Buriti (Use 10% max in carrier mix, as it stains)
Rosehip Seed (Antiscarring)

Essential Oils (Add 4-8drops of each to 50ml of oil):

• Lemongrass (Antiviral, Antibacterial, Astringent)
• Tea Tree (Antibacterial, Antifungal)
• Eucalyptus (Antiviral and Antibacterial)
• Lavender (Antiviral and Antibacterial, Soothing)
• Ravensara (Heals Scarring)
• Helychrysum (Heals Scarring)

Carrier oils that are good to use are Organic Cold Pressed (Use one or all together)

I get occassional impetigo outbreaks on my chin and recently on my cheek. The first time it happened, I assumed it was a zit that got infected.

Because I don't have insurance, I have to treat non-serious health issues at home. The last outbreak was pretty scary as I developed large clear blisters on my cheek which never happened before.

I use a combination of things to treat an impetigo outbreak:

1. I wash the area with a medical grade sterile wash.

2. I then dab some rubbing alcohol, then dress the area with sterile bandages and Neosporin.

3. 2-4 times a day I will soak a paper towel in vinegar and hold it on the infected area up to 20 minutes.

4. 2-4 times a day, I will make a paste of garlic cloves and leave it on the affected area as long as I can stand it.

5. Generally, I keep the area bandaged until it scabs over.

6. If I even suspect I might get an outbreak, I start rubbing a cut garlic clove on the suspicious area and do the vinegar treatment. It saved me from getting an outbreak about 1 month ago.

I will have to try the grapefruit seed extract and colloidal silver sometime. Thanks for the tips.