Cellulitis

Cellulitis is a type of disorder that occurs when your skin gets infected by bacteria. When an individual gets infected, the tissues below the skin of his/her body swell and inflame causing pain. This complication spreads quickly once an individual gets infected by the bacteria. After infecting the body tissues, this disorder can diffuse to lymph glands and circulatory system. However, this disease is not communicable and an infected person can freely interact with others. Although, cellulitis can target any part of your body but mostly it tends to appear on the skin of your legs, especially in the lower portion like ankle. On the other hand the kids and the older people usually get infected on their face. The person suffering from this disease should be promptly taken to the doctor for treatment because carelessness or delay can aggravate it and sometimes pose threat to life.

Symptoms and Causes of Cellulitis

Apart from inflammation, bulge and pain, an individual can feel feverish when he/she gets infected through blood. The infected person may also feel shivering and may perspire excessively. The swollen areas of the skin look reddish in color. Sometimes, the blebs containing pus may come out that enlarge to a certain extent before bursting. This is the main causes of cellulitis.

A person who is already suffering from any type of skin infection or disorder like dermatitis is more likely to get infected by the bacteria causing cellulitis. Similarly, cut, bruise and any other type of wound in your body are the easiest gateways for bacteria to enter into your body. If you are infected by any of the streptococci or staphylococci bacteria then you will surely have cellulitis. Where streptococci bacteria are round shaped Gram-positive bacteria that occur in pairs, the staphylococci bacteria are round shaped Gram-positive parasitic bacteria that occur on haphazard colonies. This is the main symptoms of cellulitis.

The bacteria can also enter in those people who have recently undergone any major surgery. Likewise, any type of bone infection or even tick bite can for the basis of cellulitis. Another reason of the complication could be dry and flaky skin that tends to crack if not paid proper attention.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Cellulitis

Your doctor will carefully examine the evident symptoms of the disease apart from taking out a blood sample and conducting few tests to ensure that you are suffering from cellulitis. If the bacteria have infected your blood then there are more chances of blood poisoning. Sometimes, mere blood clotting in the deep veins of the legs can also cause swelling and slight inflammation and may resemble the symptoms of cellulitis but certain tests will clarify the actual reason.

After taking into account the severity of the disease the doctor will suggest whether an infected person should be hospitalized or not. If the complication is mild the doctor will simply ask the patient to take a course of oral antibiotics for at least seven days and not more than a fortnight to get an effective result. While, if an individual feels shivering coupled with feverish condition then he/she would have to be admitted in the hospital and the antibiotics would be given through intravenous injections. This is one of the cellulitis treatment.

Prevention

Always keep your skin clean and dirt-free. If you have sustained any injury and there are wounds or cuts in your body then clean them with a good antibacterial soap.

Avoid scratching your skin, especially bruises and injured portions.

Do not let your wounds and cuts remain open and always cover them with dressing after applying ointments.

Avoid going to tick-infested areas and even if you go there, the cover your body properly by wearing full sleeved shirts and full pants along with socks and shoes.

Those with dry skin and even other should not let their skin dry because that causes flakiness of the skin and invites bacterial infection. Hence, use good moisturizer on your skin.