Cellulitis Treatment

Lymphedema People

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What treatment is available to cure cellulitis?

Cellulitis is treated with antibiotics. Your doctor will choose a specific antibiotic depending on the location of your cellulitis and the likely cause of your infection. Most cases of cellulitis improve quickly once antibiotics are given.

If you have mild cellulitis, you probably can be treated at home with antibiotics taken by mouth. However, you must keep in close contact with your doctor to be sure that the infection is improving as expected. At home, warm compresses, such as a warm, moist washcloth, and elevation of the infected area can help. If you have severe cellulitis, you may need to be treated in the hospital with antibiotics given intravenously (into a vein).

Most patients can be treated with oral antibiotics at home. However if there are signs of systemic illness or extensive cellulitis, treatment may require hospital admission for initial intravenous antibiotics. Treatment for uncomplicated cellulitis is usually for 10 to 14 days but antibiotics should be continued until all signs of infection have cleared (redness, pain and swelling) - sometimes for several months.

Oral antibiotics used commonly are penicillin, flucloxacillin, cefuroxime, or erythromycin. The usual intravenous antibiotics used are penicillin-based antibiotics (e.g. penicillin G or flucloxacillin) or cephalosporins (e.g. cefotaxime or cephazolin). In situations where a broader antibiotic cover is required, for example a diabetic patient with a foot ulcer complicated by cellulitis, amoxycillin and clavulanic acid may be used. Clindamycin and vancomycin are alternative antibiotics in patients with serious penicillin allergy.

In severe cases, antibiotics may be given intravenously for the first 24 to 72 hours, followed by oral antibiotics. Mild cases may only require oral antibiotics. In severe cases that progress rapidly or are associated with necrosis (tissue destruction), necrotizing cellulitis-fasciitis is considered. This requires urgent surgical exploration.

Skin Care health

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Treatment of Cellulitis

Most patients can be treated with oral antibiotics at home. However if there are signs of systemic illness or extensive cellulitis, treatment may require hospital admission for initial intravenous antibiotics. Treatment for uncomplicated cellulitis is usually for 10 to 14 days but antibiotics should be continued until all signs of infection have cleared (redness, pain and swelling) - sometimes for several months.

Oral antibiotics used commonly are penicillin, flucloxacillin, cefuroxime, or erythromycin. The usual intravenous antibiotics used are penicillin-based antibiotics (e.g. penicillin G or flucloxacillin) or cephalosporins (e.g. cefotaxime or cephazolin). In situations where a broader antibiotic cover is required, for example a diabetic patient with a foot ulcer complicated by cellulitis, amoxycillin and clavulanic acid may be used. Clindamycin and vancomycin are alternative antibiotics in patients with serious penicillin allergy.

Patients with recurrent cellulitis should

Avoid trauma, wear long sleeves and pants in high risk activities e.g. gardening

Keep skin clean and well moisturised, with nails well tended

Avoid having blood tests taken from the affected limb

Treat fungal infections of hands and feet early

Keep swollen limbs elevated during rest periods to aid lymphatic circulation

Some patients with very frequent cellulitis may benefit from chronic suppressive antibiotic treatment.

Derm Net NZ

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Cellulitis Treatment

Self Care at Home

Rest the area of the body involved.

Elevate the area of the body involved. This will help decrease swelling and relieve discomfort.

Use over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin). This will decrease the pain as well as help keep the fever down.

Medical Treatment

If the infection is not too severe you can be treated at home. The doctor will give you a prescription for antibiotics to take by mouth for a week to 10 days.

The doctor may use intravenous (IV) or intramuscular antibiotics in these situations:
If the infection is severe

If you have other medical problems

If you are very young or very old

emedicine health

If the cellulitis involves extensive areas or areas close to important structures like infection around the eye socket

If the infection worsens after taking antibiotics for 2-3 days

You may need hospitalization if the infection is well developed, extensive or in an important area, like the face. In most of these cases, IV antibiotics need to be given until the infection is under good control (2-3 days) and then you can be switched to oral medications to be taken at home.

Medications

Antibiotics are prescribed by mouth or by injection. Be sure to tell your doctor about any reactions you may have had in the past to antibiotics.

Surgery

Rarely, severe infection may need surgery.

An abscess, or collection of pus in the tissue, may need to be opened surgically to allow drainage.

Dead tissue may need to be cut away to allow healing.