What Is Cellulitis?
Found Mainly On The Legs, It's Often Mistaken For Stasis Dermatitis

What is Cellulitis? It is an infection of the deeper skin layers.

It is caused by bacteria, mainly Staphylococcus aureus, entering the skin. It is the same bacteria that causes impetigo and the staph aureus infection.

It is not contagious.

The bacteria is in the deeper layers of the skin. The epidermis, the top layer of the skin, acts as a protective barrier. Therefore, keeping the cellulitis infection off the surface of the skin.

Cellulitis Symptoms

Cellulitis symptoms include inflamed skin. The skin is red, hot and swollen. It can be very tender and painful. If there is a lot of pain, medical advice should be sought.

The infection can spread and cause other physical symptoms. It can produce flu like symptoms. A temperature, chills, sweats and shaking.

The inflammation is mainly found on the face and on the lower legs. Although it can appear on any part of the body.

When it is on the shins it can look very much like stasis dermatitis. The difference is that this type of eczema is not caused by an infection, but because of poor blood flow.

The cellulitis infection can get into the body through broken skin. The broken skin can be caused by anything from an insect bite, a cut or a skin injury.

On some occasions it can occur when there is no skin breakage. This is thought to happen when someone has a weak immune system.

• A diabetic will have a diminished immune system. If the same diabetic does not control their blood glucose levels properly, it encourages bacteria to grow quicker in the affected area
• HIV and AIDS patients are also more prone to cellulitis because of their poor immune system
• The elderly are also likely to suffer, as they tend to have a weakened immune system

What Is Cellulitis Treatment

To get diagnosed, doctors look at the condition of the skin. They will also look into if the rash is caused by an infection. The accompanying flu like symptoms will assist the diagnosis.

Cellulitis treatment includes a prescribed course of glucocorticoids. These will fight the infection and clear the condition.

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