Home Remedies for Impetigo

I've never had impetigo before and I didn't know what it was. Initially I mistook it for a cold sore and treated it with cold sore treatments and antiviral pills, however, I did notice it was behaving differently to a cold sore and I was slightly puzzled.

Then one day, boom, the rash and blisters spread like wildfire across my whole chin, around my mouth, on my lips and cheeks. It was scary and incredibly painful, and the chills and fevers meant I couldn't sleep at night either, so I was exhausted too.

I was prescribed antibiotics by my doctor and on the 4th day of taking them my chin dried up BUT the rash continued to spread at a good pace up my face and on to my forehead. Most of my face was either covered in oozing blisters, heavy crust or burning like crazy. I couldn't open my mouth much either so it was very difficult to eat too. Straws and teaspoons became my best friends as I used them to eat and drink with.

Because the rash continued to spread I knew the antibiotics weren't fully working so basically I prayed for a miracle. That's when I stumbled on this webpage and the GSE comments really struck a chord with me. That day I went to a health food shop and luckily for me they sold the GSE pills (tub of 100 pills) and liquid so I bought both, along with a huge bottle of Aloe Vera Juice.

As soon as I started taking the GSE pills (2 pills, 3 times a day), that same evening really, I noticed the rash had stopped spreading. 2 or 3 times a day I gently patted my whole face with a mix of Aloe Vera Juice with drops of the GSE liquid, as I'd read on here that using the GSE liquid undiluted really burns, and I didn't want that. The Aloe Vera Juice really was great at cooling my face which was just so hot, burning and itchy. This is compared to say tea tree oil which I tried patting on my face at the beginning of my ordeal but it really did nothing for me.

During the next 5 days after I'd started taking the GSE pills and using the aloe and GSE liquid mix, the thick crusts dried and started falling off my face, and on the 6th day my face was completely clear of crusts! My face was really raw afterwards though, and I have some post inflammation hyperpigmentation (where the skin darkens from the inflammation) but this can be covered in makeup and will fade in good time.

I also used vitamin E oil after the crusts fell off to soften my skin again because it was really dry and flaky, despite drinking lots of water. I did finish my course of antibiotics too just in case. It also took a few days for the itchiness to completely disappear. During this time I made sure not to scratch anything and washed my hands if I touched my face.

Basically GSE worked wonders for me and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who posted their stories here, as they really helped me and gave me hope. So I thought I'd post my story in the hope that it will also help someone else who is suffering.

If you can, please buy GSE pills and liquid as soon as possible. I will always have these pills with me now I know what impetigo is and how awful it can be. The infection is hugely challenging and my heart goes out to those reading this who have it, but thankfully it's a superficial infection and only effects the epidermis (outer skin layer) so it will heal fine. Good luck to all of you, and thanks again to the previous posters, I appreciate you sharing your stories! JJ

Friday, Feb. 25, 2011 - My 7yr old daughter gets sent home from school with a rash on her body. Her pediatrician was experienced enough to swab for streptococcus aureus even though she didn't have a sore throat.

Weekend - I have sex with my wife before any of us knew anything about the strep. Not saying this was the catalyst, but man I wish I had put 2 and 2 together beforehand.

Monday Feb 28 - I have spots all over my face. Nasty rash, but no sore throat. We're thinking scarlet fever. My daughter's culture comes back positive for strep. Pediatrician puts us all on Cefprozil, a Keflex-type antibiotic.

Day by day, I just got worse and worse. The impetigo raged on without pause. The cefprozil did nothing. Bacitracin did nothing. There was massive swelling and weeping yellow crusty stuff. Almost on a weekly timetable it would clear up to a large degree, not completely, but then it would come right back, and spread more. Up toward my temples, down under my chin, etc. Later I read that bacitracin (Neosporin) is useless ? it can't fight this kind of infection and it just helps to spread it around. St. Patrick's Day I was out at a bar and no one looked twice at me. By Sunday I looked so bad I didn't even go to church. Every time I thought I had seen the worst of it and was clearing up, it came back. (My little girl is fine, BTW, neither she nor my wife had to deal with this hell.)

By Monday, March 14th I realized it was coming back just as often as it was healing. I tried H202 mixed 50/50 with water about 2 or 3 times, misting my face after a hot shower with a spray bottle. This is hell on your skin, let me tell you, and it really burns for about a minute. It made me as red as a tomato, literally. But I could feel the peroxide working on the infection. Even so, it cleared up a bit, then came back.

I got a Rx for topical Mupirocin cream and a Rx for a broad spectrum antibiotic about the middle of the week. Since I had been thru a course of Cefprozil, and it did no good, I was very reluctant to take the broad spectrum. I did not take it, even though after it kept flaring up my wife urged me to take the systemic pill.

The Mupirocin topical stuff is strong, and it made me red and swollen, not as painful to apply as the peroxide but I looked like hell. As you can imagine, this was totallly affecting my job, as it is difficult to work like that, seeing customers, etc.

Even with the mupirocin, the impetigo kept coming back.

By March 21st I had seen 2 different doctors and 2 dermatologists. I was diagnosed 100% positive for impetigo and the one doctor here in PA told me she has seen a lot of it recently. But none of them could get a culture to grow. It was just my luck that every time I was in a doctor's office, there was no discharge and I was "better".

Two dermatologists told me STOP USING PEROXIDE, and the one guy said to keep using the mupirocin 5 days after that appointment. I was pretty clear for that appointment (for the 4th or 5th??time!! ) but I couldn't keep up the mupirocin. I had to give it a rest because it was hell on my skin.

I read some very helpful posts on the internet, and started using a neutral face cream (I happened to have Vanicream) mixed with 4 ? 6 drops of grapefruit seed extract. It doesn't provoke swelling as much as mupirocin, and after 2 days of GSE both topical and using as a pill, the heat and swelling went down (again). Problem with the GSE and Vanicream is it's ITCHY LIKE YOU CAN'T BELIEVE!!!!! One of the posts here says "Don't touch it" and I can't agree more. Light rubbing of my face brought ANOTHER relapse, even with clean hands. I wash them a lot now that I'm dealing with this horror. Just let it crust over, and touch your face only when you wash it. And know that when you wash your face, it will probably make it start weeping again. I washed my face 3-4 times a day.

Grapefruit Seed Extract with the Vanicream was very hard because it made me want to itch and rub. I tried Aveeno mixed with GSE and it was better, not as itchy.

March 28th, more or less, I believe I started to really heal. My skin was starting to split, with deep red creases by my chin. That's how hard mupirocin, and this disease, is on your skin. I missed about 3 days of work during this whole thing, and that doesn't count the times I had to leave early or come in late after seeing doctors. I also read a PH web page that talked about being alkaline, rather than acid, and how it affects your health, and so I started eating more fruits and veggies (I am mostly vegetarian anyway) and started with a one-a-day potassium/calcium/magnesium supplement. I tested my saliva, I was ph of 7 at that time.

I found pure aloe, already mixed with GSE in a health store. It's very runny in its pure form. Every day I used the aloe w/GSE, plus pure GSE, mixed together, and put on after my morning shower, and in the evening after I washed my face.

So here I am now, April 15, almost seven weeks after my first symptoms. I can detect a slight puffiness at the height of my cheekbones, but you would never notice it. Still a bit red there too, but once again, you can't see it except under very bright light, like a flash photo. I got a week of FL sun, wearing a wide brim hat the WHOLE time, but too afraid to put anything on my face except the aloe and GSE, every day, twice a day. I can rub my face lightly if I have an itch, and it's not there anymore. Not that I will try and provoke it, no way. I am VERY GLAD I made the decision to not take the broad spectrum anti-biotic, but that was my decision and I'm not saying it's right for you. I wanted my own defenses to fight this off, because I have this tendency toward this kind of stuff.

Here's the other complication I didn't even mention ? when I was a kid I got poison ivy real bad on my hands and arms. For decades after that, I could scratch my wrists and forearms, seemingly at will, and "bring it back". I read over and over in all the sci and med literature that poison ivy is urushiol, totally topical, and cannot live in your system. I thought I was a living contradiction to this ? rubbing would bring about swelling on my forearms, a pimply, rough raised rash, weeping yellow stuff ? poison ivy, right? WRONG! I guess that was the strep/staph virus living on my skin, and once in awhile taking hold. Well, on my forearms it was a nuisance, and a curiosity. But on my face, it's a total nightmare.

Still another possibly relevant factoid ? for a year, more or less, before this spring 2011 battle with impetigo on my face, I would come out of the shower, sometimes, and notice a single, bright red streak on my cheek. Usually just one side, not always in the same place. Always after using a washcloth that was kept in the shower and not a fresh one. Almost as if I had scraped my cheek along a rough wall in one spot. I believe this nastiness has been trying to break thru on my face for a long time, and either the strep that was in my family, or the up close and personal encounter with my wife brought it on full force. I am going on and on just to give you as much info as I possibly can. This is a serious infection that just DOES NOT want to go away, and I don't think there are that many doctors out there who really understand it. It took a LONG TIME to run its course with me, and I had it in the worst possible place. If you see this coming, my advice to you is use the GSE and a neutral skin moisturizer right away, take the GSE pills, and DON'T RUB it. It's gross, but let it crust. Wash it off, let it crust again. For weeks I was carrying a rag with me to dab my weeping face. Uhhh, so gross. And you have to keep yourself and all those things your skin touches away from everybody else. (Although I don't think it's as contagious after weeks and weeks as people think. Still, you think I'm gonna take a chance with my family?! ???)

So every time I have an itch on my cheek or jaw, I scratch it lightly and stop. I'm still very scared of this nonsense and it will be awhile until the terror fades.

After a few days they'd calm down, but then new ones popped up. Couldn't figure out why fleas would go after me and no one else in the family, so next conclusion was an allergy to sunscreen. Spots seemed to pop out shortly after being outside in the sun and sweating. Seemed to last longer than at first. Still just mainly on my truck of my body. No face, arms or lower legs.

Then I made the mistake of shaving and trimming up my bikini area. Appearently this spread the impetigo to a very unpleasant region! Again, I had figured it was a simple allergy, nothing spreadable. When it spread down there, it got BAD. Large, blistering, itchy oozing sores that spread VERY quickly. I began to wonder if my husband had cheated on me and somehow given me herpes! But he didn't have any lesions, and only got 3 after intercourse with me (just before the spots popped out everywhere in my lower regions. No doubt this caused it to spread). After running through an entire list of possible STD's, rashes and ailments, I finally found info on impetigo.

By this time it had spread so badly in my "under region" that I could not even pee. Everything was badly swollen and infected. It looked and felt like %%%%! I was in AGONY! Tried cranberry juice to help, drank an entire jug in one day with NO relief!

Before finding this site, here's what I tried on my "bad" spots: hydrocortisone cream -didn't work.

• over the counter menthol and spray anti-itch ointments -- burned VERY badly but numbed the area (didn't cure it)
• Iveyrest Poison Ivy Cream: worked on the not so bad spots, kept it under control and dried lesions, but didn't keep new spots from developing, and hard to keep it dry "down there".
• Triple Anti-Biotic Cream: didn't work.

****Remedies tried from this site and others I tried:

• Vinegar: works well. Saturated a paper towel and held it on my bad spot areas. Burned slightly but vinegar is a natural bacteria killer. Seemed to help keep them from spreading when done twice a day (change underwear too! )
• BATH: added epsom salt (about 1-2 cups) into warm bath with tea tree oil and crushed garlic cloves. Very soothing and a good way to wash gently.
• Hydrogen Peroxide: used as an antiseptic similar to vinegar. Burned less than vinegar, worked to dry spots out after shower/bath. May dry too much and cause scarring though...
• TUMERIC (PILLS): Tumeric added to food at the rate of 1 tsp is harsh to eat. Tumeric pills are MUCH better! Take 3 pills 3 times a day. TUMERIC DID HELP!!! After 24 hrs on it I could pee with NO pain, and the swelling had gone down a lot. However the spots were still spreading and VERY itcy after 4 days of pills (took me FOREVER to locate Grapefruit Seed Extract)
• GRAPEFRUIT SEED EXTRACT: BEST REMEDY! After just 12 hrs on the pills 3 times a day, I notced the spots fading away, and not so much itch. Spots stopped spreading and seem to be finally gone after 1 week of pills!
• OLIVE OIL/GARLIC: For my itchy spots I poured 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil into a small dish and mashed a garlic clove and added it to oil. Used fork to mash it into oil more and release juices. Let sit 1 hr then apply with q-tip or cotton ball to spots. STOPS ITCH, STOPS SPREAD. This was a VERY SOOTHING treatment on my under-regions and despite the oil you didn't notice fealing greasy. Only soothed. Olive oil has healing properties and garlic is a natural sulphuric antibiotic.

BOTTOM LINE: Keep the olive oil/garlic always ready in the bathroom. When a spot pops up apply the mix to it and it will calm down and not spread.

Thank you thank you thank you for this site and ALL the helpful remedies!

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.

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 🙏🏻♾️💖

This works painlessly. Use an old sheet because the powder stains. Sprinkle powder onto oozing sores, and as the powder absorbs the ooze, add more powder. This forms a natural scab. If I remember, it only took one or maybe 2 nights of this. NO SCRUBBING the sores like the doctors want us to do. And, no, antibiotics (forget what kind) did not work. This worked and the kids did not have to suffer any pain.

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!

My son had Staph Impetigo rash cultured and diagnosed by his doctor, in his diaper region. I made a paste of powdered black walnut hulls, just with the powder and water, applied over the rash. Rash cleared up within 2 days, without need for the antibiotic ointment prescribed. I also gave him 1 drop of black walnut tincture a few times a day until the rash was gone.