Home Remedies for Impetigo

Then, I was googling and found a website site for children and he mentioned betadine. I didn't have any, but I did have Ludol's solution iodine. I cleaned the area with peroxide as usual and then applied a liberal amount of iodine on the area. 2 hours later, I noticed a difference that I couldn't put my finger on. It's like I was no longer constantly aware of the rash. By 12 hours, the itching lessened by 70%. 24 hours later, the weeping stopped, the very defined spots disappeared into just an allover red area and the mess dried up. It's been almost 48 hours and I'm still applying iodine twice a day and the itching is all but gone and there's absolutely no weeping. It's dry as a bone.

Hope this helps y'all too!

When I was 15, I discovered I apparently have an allergy to the practically invisible pests known as “noseeums”. When I slept with the window ajar, I woke up with welts over ALL my exposed skin. 😱

After several rounds of antibiotics- to no avail- I think it got worse- I was a walking, weeping, constantly-cracking, giant scab!! I had to have Senior pictures taken while my face was one big yellow scab. 🫣

My general practitioner finally pulled me aside and told me to go buy a single bar of IVORY soap- no dyes. He told me to shave/grate the soap and then soak it in water until it became malleable. Once the soap had softened, I was advised to cover the weeping scabs with the glop and allow it to dry naturally. I reapplied more mush once a day for about 3 days 😉 I covered the wounds on my extremities with gauze bandages (the glop they soaked up was not appealing 🤢), while leaving my face open to breathe- I slopped a fairly thick layer of the soap on and let it dry into a slight whitish “crust” (which actually felt way better than the scabs 😉).

Aside from the little trails of Ivory soap I left in my wake, this was AMAZING!! NO ITCHING! NO WEEPING! NO CRACKING SCABS!! The “Ivory patties” drew out the infection and desiccated the wounds so they could heal 🥰

I have since used this same process for brown recluse bites and suggested this remedy to friends who have been afflicted with abscesses throughout the years 🙏🏻♾️💖

I pray this provides relief for someone like it has for me 🙏🏻♾️💖

I put the manuka honey directly above the staph on my chin, so the honey would trickle down onto the affected area. If I put it on the area directly, for some reason, it wouldn't work right. So I say put it above where you have staph. I was also delighted to find it helped with acne.

This solution changed my life and I hope it can help others too. I suffered with constant chronic impetigo outbreaks on my lips for about 5 years, from 2018 to the end of 2023. Once or twice a month, every. single. month. It seems that I got it due to also starting to experience exfoliative cheilitis on my lips about 6 months before the impetigo. At first it was very bad and though it's never been that bad again, I get a little bit of peeling here and there and it seems to have permanently disrupted the barrier of my lips such that the impetigo/staph bacteria can get into the skin. 


Anyway, it was so painful and embarrassing... I used antibiotic cream which would get rid of it in about a week or so but in the meantime there was always the painful scabs and bleeding. And if I didn't catch it in time it could get quite bad. The only thing I found that staved it off from happening quite so often was taking oregano oil pills. I would take them for about a week and then I might have one or two months of respite from the impetigo. But you're not supposed to constantly take oregano oil so it didn't seem like a permanent solution. 


Finally, at the very end of 2023, I did a course of 3 weeks of MMS drops. Where you mix 3 drops from each bottle to form chlorine dioxide then dilute it in water and drink it. Every single hour for 8 hours of the day, for 3 weeks straight. It was not pleasant. I don't like the smell of it at ALL. However plugging my nose while I drink it and having a chaser solved that problem and made it much more tolerable. I had taken it here and there before so I mostly didn't get any of the side effects thankfully. I think I vomited once in the very beginning and that was it. Totally fine besides that. (you start out with less than 3 drops and work up to that, but I was already fine with 3 drops)

And now here I am, over 8 months later, NOT ONE IMPETIGO OUTBREAK!! Not even one. It's completely gone! I'm so relieved and happy! I'm so grateful to have that horrible skin issue out of my life. I also use chlorine dioxide for other things but that's all I'll say here.



I hope this helps someone else out there! X



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!

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 believe I contracted impetigo from a college roommate. She thought her sore was a cold sore and I didn't think anything of it as I get them too. That being said it has been a struggle.(13 years later) This year has been the WORST! It seems to be a constant lingering. I have the topical cream from the doctor and that has held it at bay for a while but not this year. I don't know the triggers. This year I have gone in the direction of allergies as the doctor said this virus its in your nasal passage. I thought ok ya my allergies are so bad in the spring that I almost have to get a week off as I dope myself up. Allergy eye drops, Zertec, and nasal spray. Check. But my allergies seem to be all year and animals are an issue. SOO. here I am through fall and winter..I fostered a dog. Full fledged walking dead face. Dog was relocated and I got on antibiotics. Confession. I drank on them but I read the whole pamphlet and it didn't say anything about not drinking. Kicking myself now cause I am on the verge of another walking dead situation..but on my groin!! Long story, let's get to what has been helpful!!

1) GOLDENSEAL root drops. I read about GSR and found goldenseal. I have been mixing a saline solution with a few drops of goldenseal and doing like a "nasal flush" 2x a day. This cleared up my stuffy noes instantly. But bacteria is still attacking skin and so I put drops on red marks that I continued to get around mouth. They were gone!! .. but came back eventually. I was also drinking a hot cup of water with goldenseal and this has really helped my skin as it has been super red and dry. Cleared me right up. I stopped drinking it and soon enough red dots around my mouth. **I continue to douch nose as needed and started to drink Goldenseal again. I also put GSR on red marks that pop up** I also bought the pills to take oral but it look like there is a difference in the goldenseal "root" and "herb". the pills come in both and I read articles after, that said you want the root and the one says "herb" only has the leaf and flower and not the root. You want the root other part of plant are not effective. I will go back and get the other one as the drops seemed to be effective. Keep in mind and do research as you are only suppose to take this for a period of time, but acts as antibiotic.

Apple Cider vinegar - I don't know what worked here but I applied this to my mouth and noes a few times and this has been effective for 5 days. Dried it right up. NO new issues on face. Tried on new red spots on body and I have not seen any instant magic. I am going back and forth with antibiotic cream/ ACV/ and GSR*above. It is holding off the itching.

Grape Seed extract pills- Tried this but didn't notice a big effect. I will continue to use the bottle. Thinking the liquid might be more effective.

I liked the guy's article below about the "antiviral". I have a new rash around my groin and am thinking of calling the doctor on Monday. I don't want to go back on antibiotics ..I have a low immune system and know that this will destroy the good flora in my gut which is your bodies immune system essentially. I have a candida issue and have done cleanses in the past. This is my new approach. I thought I had been doing a good thing by drinking a lot of Kombucha and making it. I thought this would boost my gut flora but there has been a contradiction on "fermented foods and candida". but its suppose to be probiotic??? not sure if its due to yeast content ...sugar that turns into yeast? It is a mushroom that eats the sugar to ferment. But the actual sugar content at the end of fermentation is low... I will read up on this. Does it promote good bacteria or does the yeast in the fermentation destroy the health benefits? One article states that its fine because of good bacteria and low sugar. It said I would flare up as part of the healing process.. I have flared up! Waiting for healing process. I will end there. Conclusion. I need to figure this out. Goldenseal is helpful and I will continue to use it. I will also get probiotics and work on my good flora in digestive track. Depending on how my groin looks I think I will go to Doctor on Monday and maybe get antibiotics. Then really focus on good flora and do a Candida cleans...Sorry for the ramble.

All the best to those who struggle with this. It is a nightmare and I would not wish this on anyone.

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!

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)

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.