Although completely preventing cellulitis is not possible, here are some ways to reduce or eliminate many risk factors associated with developing cellulitis:
1. Keep Wounds Clean
This is of paramount importance. Being lax or slow to cleanse and dress even a tiny cut may have great consequences. Take care of cuts by gently washing the wound with clean water. Apply antibiotic ointment and a clean bandage. This reduces the chance of infection by providing a protective barrier. Change dressings frequently.
2. Don't Walk Barefoot Outdoors
Avoid any activity that tears the surface of skin, whether stepping on an unnoticed pebble or shards of glass from a broken bottle. Wear shoes outdoors and protect feet as much as possible. Keeping floors at home well-swept is another safeguard. During activities where scratches are a possibility, for example when gardening, wear shirts and pants that fully cover arms and legs.
3. Control Diabetes
High blood glucose levels feed infections and can increase their severity. The effects of diabetes, which include slow wound healing, make sufferers more susceptible to developing cellulitis. Poor circulation also plays a role in making conditions more favorable to cellulitis.
4. Don't Use Intravenous Drugs
All other health dangers aside, not cleaning needles regularly can cause soft-tissue infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reusing syringes or injecting drugs intramuscularly also raises the risk of cellulitis, even when needles aren't shared.
5. Moisturize Thoroughly
Keeping skin well-lubricated heads off dryness, which can lead to cracks and cuts where bacteria can enter, checkmating a primary cause of cellulitis. Washing hands frequently and always before and after touching a wound will keep bacteria that could pass into a wound at bay. Skin conditions like atopic eczema or athlete's foot, which can leave the skin broken, make these preventive measures even more critical. Although not scratching skin at all is ideal, keeping fingernails short and clean will limit the amount of damage and potential infection introduced to the skin.
6. If You Need To Lose Weight, Do So
Obesity can trigger many avoidable and troublesome health problems, and cellulitis is no exception. In addition, it can cause cellulitis recurrences. Morbid obesity can even cause cellulitis in the abdominal cell wall.
7. Getting Under the Skin – and Nails
Although not scratching at all is ideal, keeping fingernails short and clean will limit damage and potential infection.
General Information
Certain sports with close body contact like wrestling have an increased risk of cellulitis.
Rarely, fungal infections can cause cellulitis in those with weakened immune systems, particularly with conditions like HIV.
Lymphedema, which causes the legs and arms to swell, can cause recurring cellulitis. When this happens, doctors sometimes prescribe long-term treatment with penicillin family antibiotics to prevent future infections.
When present, the affected skin swells and is red, tender and hot to the touch. Cellulitis most usually affects the skin of the lower legs and can be limited to the surface; however, it can affect any part of the body. If it penetrates deeper, cellulitis can affect underlying skin tissues and spread to the lymph nodes and bloodstream. Group A streptococcus and staphylococcus B pathogens are responsible for many cellulitis cases. Cellulitis is not usually contagious.
It should be clear: It is dangerous to delay treatment or ignore cellulitis. The following symptoms require medical attention immediately:
• A red, swollen rash that changes rapidly is an emergency. So is a fever.
• Nausea or vomiting accompanying the above can indicate a cellulitis infection has entered the bloodstream or spread to other parts of the body.
Cellulitis symptoms that require a doctor visit are pain tenderness, red spots, blisters, and a large or expanding area of skin.
Given how quickly cellulitis can become life threatening if not treated, it's worth it to guard conscientiously against developing it. Cellulitis can cause a secondary infection called septicemia, also known as blood poisoning. It is capable of causing multiple organ failure and in some cases death.
Cellulitis is treated with antibiotics orally or intravenously in a hospital in the case of a deeper infection. A doctor may choose to add herbal preparations directly to the skin. It's strongly advised you neither do this yourself nor take any herbal medications by mouth to treat the infection before speaking to a doctor. In some cases that are not responsive to antibiotic treatment, surgery may be needed to drain infection from tissues surrounding the skin. Quick treatment of suspicious cellulitis signs may mean avoiding invasive procedures.