Q Why does impetigo develop? My child has honey-colored crusts on the skin — is it an infection?
A Impetigo is an infectious skin disease caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus or streptococcus invading the skin. The most common form begins at a small wound, a mosquito bite, or the mucosa around the nose and forms honey-colored (golden) crusts. It is especially common in children and is highly contagious.
Detailed Answer
Impetigo is a superficial bacterial infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus or group A streptococcus invading the skin surface. Bacteria enter through areas where the skin barrier is weakened, such as scratches, mosquito or insect bites, or eczema patches. The most common non-bullous impetigo typically forms small blisters around the nose, mouth, arms, and legs that rupture and leave honey-colored (golden) crusts. There is also a bullous type, in which large blisters form and then thin crusts develop, and ecthyma, a form that penetrates deeper into the skin. It is common in children and spreads quickly by contact or droplets, easily passing to siblings or classmates.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we see the bacterial infection of impetigo as also being built on a foundation of immune weakness. When the function of the spleen and stomach (digestive system) declines and the body cannot expel internal heat-toxin, the skin's defenses weaken, bacteria invade more easily, and the condition surfaces in the form of damp-heat transforming into toxin (seup-yeol-hwa-dok). Along with antibiotics that directly target the bacteria, building a constitution in which heat-toxin does not accumulate is important for preventing reinfection.
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