A 6-year-old child presents with a red, crusty rash around the mouth and nose, with golden-yellow crusts. What is the most likely diagnosis?

• A. Impetigo
• B. Eczema
• C. Candidiasis
• D. Ringworm

Answer: (A)

Impetigo is the classic diagnosis when a child has a red, crusty rash around the mouth and nose with golden-yellow crusts. These honey-colored crusts form after small vesicles rupture and dry, creating the distinctive crusted patches. In kids, impetigo is common and highly contagious, often beginning near the mouth or nose due to moisture and frequent rubbing.

Eczema would usually present as dry, itchy, inflamed patches that may become lichenified with time, not the characteristic honey-colored crusts. Candidiasis tends to show red, irritated skin with white patches or satellite lesions, and ringworm presents as an annular, scaly plaque with central clearing rather than crusts around the mouth. Together, the perioral distribution with golden crusts points most clearly to impetigo.