Infected eczema
Eczema can sometimes become infected with bacteria, causing weeping, crusts, pustules, rapidly worsening skin, fever or feeling generally unwell.
How long does a course usually last?
When an antibiotic is needed, usually a 5 to 7 day course.
Your prescriber sets the exact length for you. Finish the course you're given unless a healthcare professional tells you to stop.
Never re-use antibiotics
- Do not re-use this treatment, or take leftover or someone else's antibiotics, unless a healthcare professional has expressly told you to.
- The right antibiotic, dose and length depend on your current infection, which can be different from last time.
- Re-using antibiotics can be ineffective, cause side effects, and drives antibiotic resistance. Return leftovers to any pharmacy for safe disposal.
What the guidance says
Not every eczema flare is an infection, even when there is weeping and crusting, and NICE says people who are not systemically unwell should not routinely be given an antibiotic. Antibiotics show only limited benefit on top of good eczema treatment, and repeated courses encourage resistance.
The main treatment is managing the eczema itself with moisturisers (emollients) and steroid creams, whether or not an antibiotic is used. When an antibiotic is genuinely needed, a cream may suit a small, mild area and tablets such as flucloxacillin are used for more widespread infection.
Seek medical help if the skin is worsening rapidly, you develop a fever or feel unwell, or the infection is spreading despite treatment.
Based on NICE guidance — always follow your own prescriber's advice.
Antibiotics sometimes prescribed
When to seek help
If you are getting worse, develop a high fever, feel confused or breathless, or your symptoms are not improving as expected, contact your doctor or call NHS 111. See the warning signs page.