A topical antibiotic for small patches of infected skin — effective, and easy to overuse into resistance.
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Fucidin is fusidic acid, a topical antibiotic applied to the skin. It is particularly active against Staphylococcus aureus, which causes the majority of ordinary skin infections.
It comes as a cream and as an ointment — the ointment suits dry, crusted areas and the cream suits moist ones. Fucidin H additionally contains hydrocortisone, for infected eczema where inflammation needs settling as well.
The important thing about fusidic acid is that resistance develops quickly and is already widespread in the UK. That is a direct consequence of it being handed out generously for years, and it is why courses are now deliberately short and why repeat tubes are discouraged.
It is for small, localised areas. Widespread infection, or infection in someone systemically unwell, needs oral antibiotics such as flucloxacillin instead.
Fusidic acid resistance in Staphylococcus aureus rose sharply in the UK in step with how freely it was prescribed. Short courses reduce that pressure. A tube used on and off for months is exactly the pattern that breeds resistant organisms — and then the next infection does not respond.
The hydrocortisone component adds the usual topical steroid considerations — skin thinning with prolonged use, and worsening of any untreated fungal or viral infection.
Very little is absorbed into the bloodstream from normal use on a small area, so systemic effects are not a practical concern.
Care in and around the nose: fusidic acid is sometimes used for staphylococcal carriage, but self-directed repeated use in the nostrils is a recognised driver of resistance.
Considered acceptable in pregnancy and breastfeeding for short courses on small areas — avoid the nipple area while feeding, or wash it off before a feed.
No significant systemic drug interactions from topical use on a small area.
No monitoring is required for a short course.
What should be reviewed is whether it is working and whether it is being repeated. An infection not settling within seven days needs a swab and a rethink rather than another tube — and given UK resistance rates, treatment failure is a realistic explanation rather than a remote one.
Recurrent skin infection warrants looking for a reason — staphylococcal carriage, eczema that is not controlled, or undiagnosed diabetes.
Yes, for small, localised infected areas where photographs show a clear picture. Impetigo and infected eczema both assess well remotely — a close, well-lit photograph alongside a wider one showing the extent is usually enough.
What we will not do is issue repeat tubes of fusidic acid. That is the practice that produced current UK resistance rates, and it is poor prescribing regardless of how convenient it is. Where infection keeps returning, the useful work is finding out why.
What needs oral antibiotics rather than cream: impetigo covering more than a small area, infection in someone with fever or feeling unwell, spreading redness suggesting cellulitis, or infection in someone whose immune system is suppressed.
What needs seeing in person: a fluctuant abscess needing drainage, severe pain out of proportion to appearance, or rapidly spreading infection.
This page is information, not an offer to supply.
Fucidin is prescription-only in the UK. On a private prescription the cost is modest — broadly comparable to the England NHS prescription charge. NHS prescriptions are free in Wales.
Impetigo that is not settling on antiseptic, or infected eczema where the inflammation needs a steroid alongside — and a same-day answer for a child who needs to be back at school.
Stop after five to seven days. This is not a cream to continue until every mark has gone, and it is not one to keep in the cupboard for next time.
Noticeably better within three to five days, and largely cleared by seven. No improvement at all after five days is worth reporting rather than waiting out the tube.
Usually 48 hours after starting treatment, or once all the lesions have crusted over and stopped weeping. Check with the school, since policies vary slightly.
Because repeated fusidic acid use is the reason UK resistance rates are as high as they are. Each casual course makes the next infection harder to treat — for you and for everyone else.
Recurrent skin infection is a signal to look for a cause, not a reason to keep a tube on standby.
No. Fucidin H also contains hydrocortisone, for infected eczema where inflammation needs settling too. The steroid makes it the wrong choice for a purely infective problem, and a bad choice for anything viral.
No. Cold sores are viral. Fucidin does nothing for them, and Fucidin H can make them considerably worse.
Short courses on small areas are generally considered acceptable. If you are breastfeeding and it is anywhere near the nipple, wash it off before a feed.
A light dressing is fine and reduces spread, particularly in children who scratch. If it is covered, twice-daily application is usually enough.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
September 5, 2026
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Same-day access is usually available, from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week. You choose a time that suits you rather than waiting on hold at 8am.
Yes. Care is led personally by Dr Mohammad Khan, so you are not passed between clinicians. Continuity is the point of a small practice: someone who knows your history and is listening attentively rather than working through a checklist.
Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
No. We are not here to replace GPs, only to support them. Your NHS practice remains responsible for your ongoing care, and with your consent we write to them after the consultation. We are useful when you need to be seen sooner, or want more time than a standard appointment allows.
Twenty unhurried minutes and a comprehensive assessment. A written treatment plan is included, along with any prescription, sick note or referral letter arising from the consultation, at no extra charge.
£40 for 20 minutes, self-pay. Membership is optional and never required. Priced for fairness, because we are not here to charge extortionate amounts for access to a doctor.
It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
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