Dr Rosemary

GettinG to the heart of medical matters

the level had fallen. I think it would be reasonable to ask your doctor if you could have a retest after six months to check that you are taking the right dose.

MY seven-year-old daughter keeps getting a patch of sore skin on her upper lip that crusts over. My GP says it is impetigo and prescribes Fucidin ointment which clears it up.

However it recurs every couple of months in the same place. Is my doctor right about this?

aIMPETIGO is a skin infection caused by staphylococcus aureus bacteria which causes an area of sore red skin with a thick yellow crusting.

It commonly occurs in children around the mouth and it can be very infectious. It usually clears up quickly with antibiotics, either in cream form (such as Fucidin) or for more severe cases taken by mouth.

Although children do occasionally get it more than once it is unusual for attacks to occur this often so I wonder if in fact your daughter is getting cold sores.

These are caused by the herpes virus and in fairness to your doctor they can look very similar to impetigo.

The key is the fact that the sores keep coming back in the same place every couple of months.

Treatment is with an anti-viral drug such as acyclovir (Zovirax) and the cream is available directly from pharmacies.

However to be sure of the diagnosis go to see your doctor