Cellulitis is a common skin infection caused by bacteria. It affects the middle layer of the skin (dermis) and the tissues below. Sometimes, muscle can be affected.
Skin infection - bacterial; Group A streptococcus - cellulitis; Staphylococcus - cellulitis
Staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria are the most common causes of cellulitis.
Normal skin has many types of bacteria living on it. When there is a break in the skin, these bacteria can cause a skin infection.
Risk factors for cellulitis include:
Symptoms of cellulitis include:
You will likely be prescribed antibiotics to be taken by mouth. You may be given pain medicine as well, if needed.
At home, raise the infected area higher than your heart to reduce swelling and speed up healing. Rest until your symptoms improve.
You may need to stay in a hospital if:
Daniela Kroshinsky is a Dermatologist in Boston, Massachusetts. Kroshinsky has been practicing medicine for over 20 years and is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Cellulitis. She is also highly rated in 25 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Cellulitis, Calciphylaxis, Calcinosis, and Acute Febrile Neutrophilic Dermatosis. She is licensed to treat patients in Massachusetts and New York. Kroshinsky is currently accepting new patients.
Franz Babl practices in Parkville, Australia. Babl is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Cellulitis. He is also highly rated in 22 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Cellulitis, Bronchitis, Bell's Palsy, and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Sandy Hopper practices in Melbourne, Australia. Hopper is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Cellulitis. She is also highly rated in 9 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Cellulitis, Herpetic Stomatitis, Periorbital Cellulitis, and Gingivostomatitis.
Cellulitis usually goes away after taking antibiotics for 7 to 10 days. Longer treatment may be needed if cellulitis is more severe. This may occur if you have a chronic disease or your immune system is not working properly.
People with fungal infections of the feet may have cellulitis that keeps coming back, especially if you have diabetes. Cracks in the skin from the fungal infection allow the bacteria to get into the skin.
The following may result if cellulitis isn't treated or treatment doesn't work:
Call your provider right away if:
Protect your skin by:
Whenever you have a break in the skin:
Summary: Open-label, non-randomized, prospective, multi-center, self-controlled clinical study with masked evaluation.
Summary: To determine whether a short course of oral flucloxacillin (5 days) is non-inferior to a standard course (7 days) in terms of pain over days 6-14 (indicative of persistence or recurrence associated with the symptoms of most importance to patients) in adults with cellulitis of the leg presenting in primary care.
Published Date: April 14, 2021
Published By: Elika Hoss, MD, Senior Associate Consultant, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Dinulos JGH. Bacterial infections. In: Dinulos JGH, ed. Habif's Clinical Dermatology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 9.
Heagerty AHM, Harper N. Cellulitis and erysipelas. In: Lebwohl MG, Heymann WR, Berth-Jones J, Coulson IH, eds. Treatment of Skin Disease: Comprehensive Therapeutic Strategies. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 40.
Pasternack MS, Swartz MN. Cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis, and subcutaneous tissue infections. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 93.