Cellulitis
Cellulitis
Overview
Cellulitis is a fairly common bacterial skin infection that is potentially serious. It generally appears as a red, swollen area of your skin that will feel tender and hot. It may also spread rapidly. The skin of your lower legs is the area most commonly affected, even though cellulitis can occur virtually anywhere. It can sometimes be found on the face, more commonly in older adults and children. This infection can affect only the surface of your skin, or it can also affect tissues under your skin, and it can even spread to your bloodstream and lymph nodes.
If you do not treat cellulitis, it can spread so rapidly that it becomes life-threatening. You need to seek medical attention immediately if you have symptoms of cellulitis. Those include warm, tender, swollen or red skin. You may have a fever along with these skin changes, and the red area will expand if you don’t seek treatment. You may see smaller red spots on top of the reddened skin areas, and sometimes you may have small blisters, although this is less common.
Causes
Cellulitis is caused by bacteria of one or more types that enters your body through a break or crack in your skin. The most common bacteria types that cause cellulitis are staphylococcus and streptococcus. There are more cases being reported recently of the serious staphylococcus-based infection now known as MRSA – methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This is highly resistant to all traditional antibiotics, since people are becoming virtually immune to the benefits of some antibiotics.
The bacteria of cellulitis will find any wounds you may have, to gain entrance to your body. Dermatitis, athlete’s foot, ulcers, puncture wounds, cuts and recently sutured areas are most vulnerable to the influx of the bacteria. Some spider or insect bites can transmit to you the bacteria that start cellulitis, too. Swollen skin and flaky skin are also prime entrance points.
You are more at-risk for cellulitis if you are of advanced age, since the circulatory system is less effective in blood delivery as you get older. This keeps white blood cells, which fight infection, away from some areas of your body. Infections are more likely to occur when circulation is poor.
If your immune system is weakened, due to HIV or chronic lymphocytic leukemia, you are left more susceptible to cellulitis and other infections. If you take cyclosporine, prednisone, or other drugs that suppress the immune system, this can put you more at risk. If you suffer from diabetes, it raises your blood sugar and defeats the efforts of your immune system. Diabetes also results in less effective circulation, especially to your lower extremities, making them a prime target of cellulitis.
If you have shingles or chickenpox, they can cause blisters on the skin that break, and can be entry points for infection from bacteria. Chronic leg or arm swelling, also known as lymphodema, leaves you with swollen tissues that can crack, leaving you open for infection. A chronic fungal infection of your toes or feet can cause them to crack, which increases the bacterial infection risk. People who use injections for illicit drugs also have a higher than normal risk of contracting cellulitis.
If you discover a rash that is swollen and red, warm and tender, and it’s growing, see your doctor as soon as you can. If you have pain or fever that is accompanying your rash, or if the rash changes abruptly, seek help immediately. You must treat cellulitis early, or it can cause a serious infection, by rapidly spreading through your body.
Treatment
Your physician will be able to make a diagnosis based on your skin’s appearance. He or she may also do blood work, a culture of the wound area, or other clinical tests that will rule out a deep vein blood clot in your legs. Your physician will recommend the best course of treatment to help you overcome cellulitis.
