3 Crucial Things to Know About Cellulitis

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Cellulitis is a dangerous skin infection that happens when bacteria infect your skin's deep layers and the tissue beneath them. Streptococcus pyogenes (strep) or Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria are the most common causes. It can also be caused by MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a kind of staph infection that has become increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

Sometimes there is a cut or breach in your skin that allows bacteria to enter, but other times there isn't—at least not that you remember. A shaving nick, a tattoo, or a body piercing, as well as injectable drug use or an animal bite, can all cause your skin to be cut or pierced.

Cellulitis is a common illness that most people have never heard of. Cellulitis affects more than 14 million people in the United States each year. Cellulitis can affect both men and women, and it affects both genders equally.

Symptoms of Cellulitis

Cellulitis can affect any area of the body, although it most commonly affects the foot or lower leg, where specific disorders that make you more prone to cellulitis can occur. It usually always occurs unilaterally, that is, on only one side of your body.

Redness

Cellulitis manifests as a single red region or "sheet." It could start on your calf about the size of a quarter and swiftly spread to cover your entire lower leg. There are no spots or dots on it, and it isn't elevated. It could be round, but it could also be shaped in other ways.

Warm skin

When you touch the affected area, your skin may feel heated. The heat is produced by your immune system, which is attempting to fight the infection. When you touch the affected area, you may feel tenderness or pain.

Damage to the skin

Your skin may become pitted (similar to the uneven, dimpled skin of an orange) and blisters may form in the affected area. Pus will be visible in situations of severe infection.

Risk Factors for Cellulitis

Diabetes

For a variety of reasons, diabetes increases your risk of infection. Because of nerve damage, you may develop ulcers on your feet if you can't feel minor problems, such as a cut, early on. High blood sugar is common in people with untreated diabetes, and nothing feeds bacteria more than sugar. When you combine increased blood sugar with an unnoticed open wound, you have the perfect storm for cellulitis.

Lymphedema

Lymphedema occurs when lymph fluid accumulates in the body's soft tissues. Radiation therapy, surgical removal of lymph nodes such as during cancer surgery, and other genetic disorders can all cause it to arise in your arms or legs. Your lymph system is designed to combat infection, but when it's overworked, it can't do its job, which can lead to infections like cellulitis.

Weakened immune system

This can happen for a variety of reasons, including using steroid medications, undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer, taking other immune-suppressing medications, and/or having certain underlying disorders and ailments. When your immune system isn't functioning properly, your chances of contracting an illness increase dramatically.

Extra pounds

Excess weight can promote swelling in the arms, legs, hands, and feet, which can lead to cellulitis. As your skin ages, it is more prone to cracks and tears, which serve as entry points for germs. Plus, obesity takes a toll on your veins leading to various problems. If you’re overweight and experience constant edema, visit a vein center. 

Heart surgery 

If you had heart surgery that involves removing a vein from your leg and attaching it to your coronary artery to improve blood flow to your heart, you may be at risk for cellulitis if your leg swells.

Treatment for Cellulitis

If your doctor verifies that you have cellulitis, you will almost certainly be prescribed oral antibiotics immediately, most likely a broad-spectrum antibiotic that targets the most common causes of cellulitis. 

More serious infections, such as those that are more widespread, have additional symptoms such as a high temperature and a general sensation of malaise, or that have failed to respond to oral medicines, may require hospital treatment with intravenous (IV) antibiotics. In these circumstances, knowing what sort of bacteria is causing the infection may aid your doctor in selecting the best treatment option. When an infection affects an arm or leg, elevating the affected limb can assist in reducing swelling and accelerating recovery.