A common misunderstanding is that impetigo does not affect families or families that practice good hygiene. Impetigo is not selective, and may happen when children play and gather together in groups such as at schools and camps. Impetigo appears mostly in warm, moist climates during the summer. It begins as small red spots and progresses to pus-filled blisters, which break and form a crusted sore. Impetigo is spread quickly by scratching.
Sores usually appear on the scalp, face and hands, but they can be anywhere on the body.
After impetigo sores heal, there may be a slight, but temporary, discoloration of the skin. The bacteria that cause impetigo enters the body through a scratch on the skin and is spread from person to person, often by shared towels, napkins, toys, pencils and handkerchiefs, or by touching the sores. Impetigo can also be spread by skin contact with non-chlorinated water that is contaminated with the bacteria that cause impetigo. Impetigo is contagious as long as sores are present. Each time a person who has impetigo touches an infected sore and then touches another part of his or her body, a new infection may begin.