What is cellulitis?
Cellulitis is a skin infection caused by bacteria. Normally, your skin helps protect you from infection. But if you have a cut, sore, or insect bite, bacteria can get into the skin and spread to deeper tissues. If it is not treated with antibiotics, the infection can spread to the blood or lymph nodes. This can be deadly.
Some people can get cellulitis without having a break in the skin. These include older adults and people who have diabetes or a weak immune system. These people are also more likely to develop dangerous problems from cellulitis. And they are more likely to get cellulitis again.
What causes cellulitis?
Cellulitis is caused by bacteria (usually strep or staph). Some people are at risk for infection by other types of bacteria. They include people with
weak immune systems and those who handle fish, meat, poultry, or soil without using gloves.
What are the symptoms?
At first, the infected area will be warm, red, swollen, and tender. As the infection spreads, you may have a fever, chills, and swollen glands.
Cellulitis can occur anywhere on the body. In adults, it often occurs on the legs, face, or arms. In children, it is most common on the face or around the anus. An infection on the face could lead to a dangerous eye infection.
See a doctor right away if you have an infected area of skin and:
- The infected area is getting redder, more painful, or larger, or it has red streaks extending from it.
- You have a fever or chills.
- The infected area is on your face or your groin.
How do you get cellulitis?
There are many ways to get cellulitis. You can get it if you have:
- An injury to your skin, such as a cut, surgical wound, burn, or animal or insect bite.
- Skin problems, such as ulcers, eczema, psoriasis, or a fungal infection like athlete's foot.
- Certain medical conditions. These include diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, or a weak immune system.
- Fluid buildup (edema) in the legs or arms.
- Had liposuction to remove excess fat.
- Injected illegal drugs under your skin.
How is it treated?
Doctors use antibiotics to treat cellulitis. If the infection is mild, you may be able to take antibiotic pills at home. If the infection is severe, you may need to be treated in the hospital with antibiotics that go right into your bloodstream.
If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, it is important to take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics.
It is very important to get treatment right away for cellulitis. If it is not treated, the bacteria can spread quickly through the body and cause
sepsis, an extreme response by the body’s defense system. This can be deadly. Cellulitis on the face can spread to the brain and cause a dangerous infection (
meningitis). Cellulitis can also cause other serious problems, such as blood clots in the legs (
thrombophlebitis).
You are more likely to have these problems if you are an older adult, have a medical condition such as diabetes or peripheral arterial disease, or have a weak immune system. Your chances of the cellulitis coming back may be higher too.
How can you prevent cellulitis?
If you are at risk for cellulitis, you can take steps to help prevent it.
- Take good care of your skin. Keep it clean, and use lotion to prevent drying and cracking.
- Check your feet and legs often. This is especially important if you have diabetes.
- Treat any skin infection, such as athlete’s foot, right away.
- Ask your doctor if you need to take antibiotics on a regular basis to prevent cellulitis.
- If your doctor prescribes medicine, take it just the way your doctor says to.
Treatment Overview
The intent of
cellulitis treatment is to decrease the severity of the infection, speed up recovery, relieve pain and other symptoms, heal the skin, and prevent the infection from coming back.
- Antibiotics are usually used to treat cellulitis. If the infection is limited to a small area, has not spread to the bloodstream or lymph system, and you don't have any other medical problems, antibiotics you take by mouth (oral) are effective. If the infection is more widespread, or if you're having a slow recovery on oral antibiotics, antibiotics may be used intravenously (IV) or by injection.
For cellulitis of the leg or arm, treatment also includes elevating the limb to reduce swelling.
Treatment for children depends on their age and which part of the body is infected. An antibiotic is usually given intravenously. Facial cellulitis in young children requires immediate treatment and responds well to antibiotics.2
Treatment sometimes requires a stay in the hospital. This is common if antibiotics must be given intravenously, but it is also considered if you have signs of complications such as a high fever, or if it will be difficult for you to have follow-up care with a health professional.
Medications used to treat cellulitis
Oral, topical (applied to the skin), or intravenous antibiotics may be used to treat cellulitis. The extent of the infection and its location help determine what type of antibiotic is used.
- Oral antibiotics include penicillin or a similar medication such as dicloxacillin. For people who are allergic to penicillin, a cephalosporin, erythromycin, or vancomycin can be used.
- Topical antibiotics including mupirocin may be used for children with cellulitis in the area around the anus.3
- Intravenous antibiotics may include nafcillin, levofloxacin, or cephalosporin.
Preventing a recurrence of cellulitis
Cellulitis tends to recur in people with certain medical conditions that can lead to skin breakdown, such as edema (fluid buildup), fungal or bacterial infections, diabetes, or peripheral arterial disease.
- If you have edema, support stockings and good skin hygiene may reduce or eliminate recurrence of cellulitis.4
- If you develop frequent fungal infections, regular use of antifungal medications may help reduce recurrent cellulitis.
- If you are considered very high risk for recurring cellulitis, taking preventive antibiotics may help. With preventive antibiotics, most people take a dose of antibiotics every 2 weeks.5
Home Treatment
If you have
cellulitis, follow your doctor's instructions for taking medication and for skin care. Other steps to help your recovery and keep cellulitis from coming back include the following:
- Take all of your medication as prescribed.
- Take care of your skin. Any measure that prevents injury to your skin will help to prevent cellulitis.
- Elevate your affected leg or arm to reduce swelling.
- Apply warm compresses to the affected area.
- Use pain relievers as needed.
- Use support stockings to prevent fluid buildup.
- Take steps to treat or prevent fungal infections, such as athlete's foot. If athlete's foot is hard to treat or recurs, ask your doctor about oral antifungal medications. For more information on treating this condition, see the topic Athlete's Foot.
- Take care of your feet, especially if you have diabetes or other conditions that may increase the risk of infection.
- Avoid touching possible sources of infection, such as ill family members and their belongings; raw fish, meat, or poultry; or soil, particularly when you have an area of broken skin.
When you have completed your course of medication, follow up with your doctor to verify that the infection is gone.
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Originally Posted by HIITB$
