How does cellulitis spread
Is it dangerous? Is it contagious? Cellulitis of the eye Outlook What is cellulitis? Symptoms can include: spreading redness red spots blisters swelling skin dimpling tenderness and pain warmth fever.
Is cellulitis dangerous? Is cellulitis contagious? What about cellulitis of the eye? Read this next. Medically reviewed by Susan Bard, MD. What to Know About Orbital Cellulitis. Medically reviewed by Ann Marie Griff, O. Contact Dermatitis Complications. Causes and How to Treat It. Read more about how cellulitis is treated. Cellulitis can usually be treated successfully with antibiotics, and most people make a full recovery. But there is a risk it could cause potentially serious problems, particularly if it's not treated quickly, such as:.
Septicaemia and kidney problems can be life threatening and require immediate treatment in hospital. The bacteria that cause it often live harmlessly on the skin, but they can lead to an infection if they get into a break in your skin, such as:. Read about the causes of cellulitis , including information on who's most at risk of the condition.
If you get cellulitis often or severely, your GP may refer you to a skin specialist called a dermatologist, or an infection specialist, to discuss the option of taking antibiotics on a long-term basis to protect against further infections. Symptoms of cellulitis develop suddenly and can get worse quickly. It affects the skin and can also cause additional symptoms. There may also be a break in the skin, although this isn't always obvious, and pus or blood-filled blisters. Commonly affected areas include the lower legs, feet, arms or hands, and sometimes the face, particularly around the eyes.
See your GP or visit your nearest minor injuries unit as soon as possible if an area of your skin suddenly turns red, painful and hot. Cellulitis can also cause additional symptoms that may develop before or alongside the changes to your skin. Occasionally the infection can spread to other parts of the body, such as the deeper layers of tissue, blood, muscle and bone.
This can be very serious and potentially life threatening. Cellulitis is usually caused by a bacterial infection. It occurs when bacteria get into the tissues beneath the skin. The bacteria that cause cellulitis often live harmlessly on the skin. But if the surface of your skin is damaged, they can get into the layers underneath and cause an infection.
Cellulitis isn't normally spread from person to person as the infection occurs deep within the skin and is often caused by bacteria that live on the skin's surface without causing problems.
Ensuring the underlying health conditions mentioned above are well controlled may help reduce your risk of getting cellulitis. Cellulitis can often be treated at home with a course of antibiotics, although severe cases may need to be treated in hospital. Cellulitis is treated with antibiotics. Most cellulitis infections can be treated with antibiotics that are taken by mouth oral antibiotics.
More serious infections may need to be treated in the hospital with intravenous IV antibiotics, which are given directly into a vein.
If the infection is in the arm or leg, then keeping that limb elevated can help decrease swelling and speed up recovery. Complications from cellulitis are uncommon but can include serious infections in the following locations:. Although rare, cellulitis may lead to a very serious infection called necrotizing fasciitis that needs immediate medical care. Learn about necrotizing fasciitis. People can get cellulitis more than once. Having cellulitis does not protect someone from getting it again in the future.
While there is no vaccine to prevent cellulitis or group A strep infections in general, there are things you can do to protect yourself and others. Common sense and good wound care are the best ways to prevent bacterial skin infections, including cellulitis. These infections should be treated since they can cause breaks in the skin that can lead to cellulitis.
Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Symptoms of cellulitis Complications of cellulitis Causes of cellulitis Diagnosis of cellulitis Treatment for cellulitis Self-care at home Reduce the risk of transmission Where to get help. Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues just under the skin.
The most common bacteria are staphylococcus aureus golden staph and group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus. These bacteria enter broken or normal skin, and can spread easily to the tissue under the skin. You will need antibiotics to treat the infection. Cellulitis can affect almost any part of the body. Most commonly, it occurs on the lower legs and in areas where the skin is damaged or inflamed. Anyone, at any age, can develop cellulitis. However, you are at increased risk if you smoke, have diabetes or poor circulation.
Prior to the development of antibiotics, cellulitis was fatal. With the introduction of penicillin, most people recover fully within a week.
Symptoms of cellulitis The range of symptoms can range from mild to severe, and can include: redness of the skin warmth swelling tenderness or pain in an area of skin weeping orleaking of yellow clear fluid or pus. Complications of cellulitis The infection can spread to the rest of the body.