If you had cellulitis in an arm, have blood drawn from the arm that has not had cellulitis. Be sure to ask the person drawing the blood to take it from a part of your body that has not had cellulitis. Treat infections promptly. Sores, red and swollen skin, or blisters can be a sign of an infection. Treat other medical conditions. Having another medical condition can increase your risk of getting cellulitis again.
Working with your doctor to manage conditions like diabetes, eczema, leg ulcers, or periphery artery disease PAD can greatly reduce your cellulitis risk.
Treat lymphedema excessive fluid buildup that causes swelling, usually in an arm or leg. Of all the medical conditions that increase your risk of getting cellulitis again, lymphedema ranks highest.
While there is no cure for lymphedema, it can be treated with exercise, compression bandages, elevation, and drainage. Lose weight. Research shows that if you are overweight or obese and lose weight, you reduce your risk of getting cellulitis again. Stop smoking. While more research is needed to know whether smoking increases your risk of getting cellulitis again, research suggests it might. If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation.
More research is also needed to know whether alcohol increases your risk of getting cellulitis again. Current research suggests that heavy drinking increases the risk. Drinking in moderation means that women have no more than one drink a day and men two. Check your feet every day to see if you have an injury or infection.
The most common bacteria that cause cellulitis include:. Staph and strep bacteria are commonly found on the skin and mucous membranes of the mouth and nose in healthy people. The infection happens when there is a break in the skin that allows the bacteria to enter. Other causes may include human or animal bites, or injuries that happen in water.
Some cases of cellulitis are an emergency. Always talk with your healthcare provider immediately if you notice any of the following symptoms:. The symptoms of cellulitis may look like other skin conditions. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Your healthcare provider will consider your age, overall health and severity of the condition when determining the appropriate treatment for you.
Based on the physical exam, your healthcare provider may treat you in the hospital, depending on the severity of the cellulitis. In the hospital, you may get antibiotics and fluids through an intravenous IV catheter. If skin breaks happen, keep the area clean and use an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment.
Watch for signs of infection. If you have diabetes, visually check your feet for signs of skin breaks or infection. Health Home Conditions and Diseases. Cellulitis is a deep infection of the skin caused by bacteria. It usually affects the arms and legs. It can also develop around the eyes, mouth, and anus, or on the belly.
Normal skin can be affected by cellulitis, but it usually happens after some type of injury causes a skin break, including trauma or surgery. Once the skin breaks, bacteria can enter and cause infection. What causes cellulitis? Cover your wound with ointment and a bandage until fully healed. Change the bandage daily. Take these precautions if you have poor circulation or a condition that increases your risk of cellulitis:.
This condition causes swelling, discoloration, and can develop into skin ulcers. It is the result of poor circulation in the lower limbs and typically affects the lower legs and ankles.
Unlike cellulitis, this condition can affect both sides of the body and is not the result of bacterial infection. However, should you develop sores or ulcers as a result of venous stasis, your risk of a skin infection will increase. Erysipelas is another skin infection. Like cellulitis, it can start from open wounds, burns, or surgical cuts. Most of the time , the infection is on the legs. Less often, it can appear on the face, arms, or trunk. However, cellulitis affects deeper tissue, while erysipelas is often the result of strep bacteria and its effects are more superficial.
An abscess is a swollen pocket of pus underneath the skin. It forms when bacteria — often Staphylococcus — get into your body through a cut or other open wound.
When this happens, your immune system sends in white blood cells to fight off the bacteria. The attack can form a hole under your skin, which fills with pus. The pus contains dead tissue, bacteria, and white blood cells.
Unlike cellulitis, an abscess looks like a lump under the skin. You may also have symptoms like a fever and chills. Some abscesses shrink on their own without treatment. In other instances, you may require antibiotics, or a doctor may need to drain the abscess.
Dermatitis is a general term for a swollen skin rash that covers many conditions. These include atopic dermatitis , or eczema, and contact dermatitis , an allergic reaction to an irritating substance.
Unlike cellulitis, most forms of dermatitis are the result of allergic reactions, not bacterial infections. Learn more about the types of dermatitis here. Doctors treat dermatitis with cortisone creams and antihistamines to relieve the swelling and itching. You will also need to avoid the substance that caused the reaction. Deep vein thrombosis DVT is a blood clot in one of the deep veins, usually in the legs. You can get a DVT after you sit or lie in bed for a long period of time, such as on a long plane trip or after surgery.
If the clot breaks free and travels to the lungs, it can cause a life threatening condition called pulmonary embolism PE. Doctors treat DVT with blood thinners. These prevent the clot from getting bigger and stop you from getting new clots. Cellulitis is a common skin infection that causes inflammation, skin discoloration, and pain.
Complications are uncommon but can be severe. You should always contact your doctor if you develop symptoms of cellulitis. Most people fully recover from cellulitis after 7 to 10 days on antibiotics.
If left untreated, cellulitis can lead to gangrene, septic shock, and may require surgery to treat in severe cases. It is possible to get cellulitis again in the future. You can prevent this infection by keeping your skin clean if you get a cut or other open wound.
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