Cellulitis
Overview
Cellulitis is a skin infection that's treated with antibiotics. It can be serious if it's not treated quickly.
Symptoms
Cellulitis makes your skin painful, hot and swollen. The area usually looks red, but this may be less obvious on brown or black skin. Your skin may also be blistered. You may also feel unwell and have flu-like symptoms, withswollen, painful glands. You can get cellulitis on any part of your body but it's more common on your lower limbs.
Causes
Cellulitis is usually caused by a bacterial infection. The bacteria can infect the deeper layers of your skin if it's broken, for example, because of an insect bite or cut, or if it's cracked and dry. Sometimes the break in the skin is too small to notice. You cannot catch cellulitis from another person, as it affects the deeper layers of the skin. You're more at risk of cellulitis if you: have poor circulation in your arms, legs, hands or feet, for example, because you're overweightfind it difficult to move aroundhave a weakened immune system, for example, because of chemotherapy treatment or diabeteshavelymphoedema, which causes fluid build-up under the skininject drugshave a wound from surgeryhave had cellulitis before have poor circulation in your arms, legs, hands or feet, for example, because you're overweight find it difficult to move around have a weakened immune system, for example, because of chemotherapy treatment or diabetes havelymphoedema, which causes fluid build-up under the skin inject drugs have a wound from surgery have had cellulitis before People who are more at risk of cellulitis should treatathlete's footpromptly.
Treatment
For mild cellulitis affecting a small area of skin, a doctor will prescribe antibiotic tablets, usually for a week. Your symptoms might get worse in the first 48 hours of treatment, but should then start to improve. Contact your GP if you do not start to feel better 2 to 3 days after starting antibiotics. It's important to keep taking antibiotics until they're finished, even when you feel better. Most people make a full recovery after 7 to 10 days. If cellulitis is severe, you might be referred to hospital for treatment.