Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSignsTypesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Signs
Types
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
When to See a Provider
This article will go over the signs and symptoms of infected eczema, as well as the treatment of infected eczema. You will also learn how to prevent complications from these infections.
Verywell / Laura Porter
What Is Infected Eczema?
When yourskinbecomes cracked, broken, and inflamed with eczema, it increases the risk of bacteria or viruses entering the skin membrane. An eczema rash is also typically very itchy, which will cause you to scratch your skin.
Scratching your skin can cause small breaks in the skin, through which bacteria and viruses can more easily enter the body.
The most common form of bacterial infection is from staphylococcus bacteria, which causes astaph infection. Another common form of eczema infection is with the herpes simplex virus (HSV).
Types of Infected Eczema
Eczema Infection With Staph
The bacteriaStaphylococcus aureus, commonly referred to as staph, is present in many eczema skin lesions. Researchers have found that staph can be isolated from up to 70% of eczema lesions.The severity of those staph infections varies widely.
Eczema Herpeticum
Eczema herpeticum is a viral infection that occurs with other skin conditions and forms of eczema like atopic dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis.
What Does Eczema Look Like When It’s Infected?
Signs of a bacterial infection include:
Other signs of a viral infection include:
Widespread symptoms that can occur with any type of infection include:
Diagnosing Infected Eczema
Effectively identifying and diagnosing infected eczema can help prevent complications and decrease the severity of symptoms.
Diagnosis of a staph infection, another bacterial infection, or eczema herpeticum can be made with abacteria or virus culture. Your affected skin area will be swabbed and the sample will be sent to a lab for testing under a microscope.
Treating Infected Eczema
Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics, either a topical one that is applied to the skin or an oral form that is taken as a pill. For viral infections like eczema herpeticum, the primary treatment is acyclovir, an oral antiviral drug that slows the growth and spread of the herpes virus. If severe complications are present, systemic intravenous antiviral medication and hospitalization may be required.
Because a secondary bacterial staph infection can occur after eczema herpeticum develops, preventative antibiotics, such as cephalexin, clindamycin, doxycycline, or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, are often prescribed alongside antiviral medications to reduce complications.
What Do Skin Infections Look Like?
Prevention of Infected Eczema
To prevent eczema from becoming infected, it is important to wash your affected skin areas regularly to help remove bacteria and viruses.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If any of these signs and symptoms are present, see your doctor immediately to determine if you have an infection. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to prevent serious complications.
Summary
Eczema causes dry and itchy skin, which can make you want to scratch it. However, scratching it will break your skin and increase the risk of infections. If your eczema is not responding to its usual treatment, you may have infected eczema. Watch out for skin warmth, redness, fluid-filled bumps, yellow crust on your skin, swelling, open sores, and pus oozing from eczema patches. It’s important to seek help from your doctor if you have these signs.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wang V, Boguniewicz J, Boguniewicz M, Ong PY.The infectious complications of atopic dermatitis.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021;126(1):3-12. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2020.08.002George SM, Karanovic S, Harrison DA, et al.Interventions to reduce Staphylococcus aureus in the management of eczema.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2019;2019(10):CD003871. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003871.pub3American Academy of Dermatology Association.Is that eczema or an infection on my child’s skin?Liaw FY, Huang CF, Hsueh JT, Chiang CP.Eczema herpeticum: a medical emergency.Can Fam Physician. 2012;58(12):1358-1361.National Eczema Society.Skin infections and eczema.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wang V, Boguniewicz J, Boguniewicz M, Ong PY.The infectious complications of atopic dermatitis.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021;126(1):3-12. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2020.08.002George SM, Karanovic S, Harrison DA, et al.Interventions to reduce Staphylococcus aureus in the management of eczema.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2019;2019(10):CD003871. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003871.pub3American Academy of Dermatology Association.Is that eczema or an infection on my child’s skin?Liaw FY, Huang CF, Hsueh JT, Chiang CP.Eczema herpeticum: a medical emergency.Can Fam Physician. 2012;58(12):1358-1361.National Eczema Society.Skin infections and eczema.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Wang V, Boguniewicz J, Boguniewicz M, Ong PY.The infectious complications of atopic dermatitis.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021;126(1):3-12. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2020.08.002George SM, Karanovic S, Harrison DA, et al.Interventions to reduce Staphylococcus aureus in the management of eczema.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2019;2019(10):CD003871. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003871.pub3American Academy of Dermatology Association.Is that eczema or an infection on my child’s skin?Liaw FY, Huang CF, Hsueh JT, Chiang CP.Eczema herpeticum: a medical emergency.Can Fam Physician. 2012;58(12):1358-1361.National Eczema Society.Skin infections and eczema.
Wang V, Boguniewicz J, Boguniewicz M, Ong PY.The infectious complications of atopic dermatitis.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021;126(1):3-12. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2020.08.002
George SM, Karanovic S, Harrison DA, et al.Interventions to reduce Staphylococcus aureus in the management of eczema.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.2019;2019(10):CD003871. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003871.pub3
American Academy of Dermatology Association.Is that eczema or an infection on my child’s skin?
Liaw FY, Huang CF, Hsueh JT, Chiang CP.Eczema herpeticum: a medical emergency.Can Fam Physician. 2012;58(12):1358-1361.
National Eczema Society.Skin infections and eczema.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
