[7] Risk factors include attending day care, crowding, poor nutrition, diabetes mellitus, contact sports, and breaks in the skin such as from mosquito bites, eczema, scabies, or herpes.

[10] This most common form of impetigo, also called nonbullous impetigo, most often begins as a red sore near the nose or mouth which soon breaks, leaking pus or fluid, and forms a honey-colored scab,[11] followed by a red mark which often heals without leaving a scar.

[citation needed] Bullous impetigo, mainly seen in children younger than two years, involves painless, fluid-filled blisters, mostly on the arms, legs, and trunk, surrounded by red and itchy (but not sore) skin.

[12] Ecthyma, the nonbullous form of impetigo, produces painful fluid- or pus-filled sores with redness of skin, usually on the arms and legs, become ulcers that penetrate deeper into the dermis.

After they break open, they form hard, thick, gray-yellow scabs, which sometimes leave scars.

It generally appears as honey-colored scabs formed from dried sebum and is often found on the arms, legs, or face.

[18] Other conditions that can result in symptoms similar to the common form include contact dermatitis, herpes simplex virus, discoid lupus, and scabies.

[3] Other conditions that can result in symptoms similar to the blistering form include other bullous skin diseases, burns, and necrotizing fasciitis.

Washing hands, linens, and affected areas will lower the likelihood of contact with infected fluids.

[19] Children with impetigo can return to school 24 hours after starting antibiotic therapy as long as their draining lesions are covered.

[3] However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as of February 2020 recommends a hydrogen peroxide 1% cream antiseptic rather than topical antibiotics for localised non-bullous impetigo in otherwise well individuals.

[22] This recommendation is part of an effort to reduce the overuse of antimicrobials that may contribute to the development of resistant organisms[23] such as MRSA.

Alternatively, amoxicillin combined with clavulanate potassium, cephalosporins (first-generation) and many others may also be used as an antibiotic treatment.

Alternatives for people who are seriously allergic to penicillin or infections with methicillin-resistant Staphococcus aureus include doxycycline, clindamycin, and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole, although doxycycline should not be used in children under the age of eight years old due to the risk of drug-induced tooth discolouration.

[29] Before the discovery of antibiotics, the disease was treated with an application of the antiseptic gentian violet, which was an effective treatment.