Although the sores are not painful, they do cause itching which can spread the lesions further. The liquid and crust which accompany impetigo are highly contagious. Scratching and touching the sores can easily spread them to other areas of the body.

Impetigo is more common in young babies and children whose immune systems are not developed enough to fight off the bacteria. However, it can also occur in teenagers and adults, especially after a cold, bronchitis or other respiratory infection that leaves the immune system weakened. In children, impetigo lesions usually occur on the face (especially around the nose and mouth), and on the hands.

Types, Signs & Symptoms:
There are 3 types of impetigo: impetigo contagiosa, bullous impetigo, and ecthyma. Impetigo contagiosa and bullous impetigo have similar symptoms, but bullous impetigo is exclusively caused by the staphylococcus virus and primarily affects infants and children less then 2 years old. Neither of the first two forms are painful nor result in scars.

However, with the ecthyma type, pain is a symptom. If left untreated, impetigo can result in skin ulcers known as ecthyma.

According to the Mayo Clinic, ecthyma is a more serious form of impetigo because the infection penatrates deeper into the skin's second layer of skin. Symptoms include: painful pus filled sores, a thick gray-yellow crust which covers the sores, swollen lymph glands in the infected area, and scars that remain after the ulcers heal.

Causes:
As mentioned above, impetigo infections are caused by staphylococcal or streptococcal bacteria which enter the skin. Impetigo which occurs in healthy skin is called primary impetigo. Impetigo infections which occur as a result of injury to skin such as an insect bite, scratch or cut.

"The fluid which accompany impetigo infections are highly contagious and can be spread by skin-to-skin or skin-to-infected surface contact. You're exposed to the bacteria that cause impetigo when you come into contact with the sores of someone who's infected or with items they've touched, such as clothing, bed linen, towels and even toys." (1)

Impetigo is most common in children whose immune systems is not strong enough to fight off the strep and staph bacteria. However, impetigo infections can also affect adults, seniors and those with a weakened immune system.