Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSigns Cellulitis Is HealingTips for HealingComplicationsRecurring Cellulitis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Signs Cellulitis Is Healing
Tips for Healing
Complications
Recurring Cellulitis
Most cellulitis symptoms will decrease after three to five days with infections typically clearing up in about 10 days.However, cellulitis will only heal if you take oral antibiotics as prescribed. In some cases, the first medication may not work. If that happens, your healthcare provider may use injectable or intravenous (IV) antibiotics.
Cellulitis appears as an area of skin that’s red, warm, and swollen. The affected area is often tender and painful and your skin may look dimpled or pitted (orange peel skin).
It’s essential to seek early treatment to prevent cellulitis complications.Antibioticmedication is the primary treatment. Once you begin antibiotics, you can expect cellulitis to progress through several stages as the infection starts to heal. Most infections heal within 10 days.
The First 48 Hours
After Three Days
After the first three days of antibiotic treatment, your pain will typically decrease. You may also start to notice that your swelling is starting to go down and the infected area no longer feels very warm.
After Five Days
After five days of antibiotic treatment, most people will notice a significant decrease in pain, swelling, and redness. At this point, the affected area may no longer be tender to the touch.
After 10 Days
Assuming your body has responded well to antibiotic treatment, most, if not all, of your cellulitis symptoms should subside within 10 days. The standard practice when treating uncomplicated cellulitis is to prescribe a 10-day course of oral antibiotics. However, research shows that a five-day course can be just as effective in some cases.
Tips to Help Cellulitis Heal
If you have a severe infection or a health condition, your healthcare provider may treat you in the hospital, where you can receive IV antibiotics and fluids. If you take oral antibiotics at home, take all the medicine even after you start feeling better.
Wound Care
If you have a wound on your skin, keeping it clean and well cared for can help reduce your risk of cellulitis.And if you’re prone to skin cracks, either due to a condition such as eczema or dry skin, applying a thick moisturizer helps heal your skin and strengthens the skin barrier that prevents bacterial infections like cellulitis.
Take Your Medication as Prescribed
Complications of Cellulitis
Cellulitis can cause serious complications but you’ll have warning signs. If your symptoms don’t improve with oral antibiotics, you have a fever, your pain worsens, or you experience new symptoms such as chills, nausea, or vomiting, seek immediate medical attention.
You also need immediate medical treatment if you see red streaks spreading from the area or if the red area is expanding.
Without treatment, cellulitis can lead to the following complications:
If the infection spreads, you may need surgicaldebridement, a procedure to remove infected, dead, and damaged tissues. Without removing infected tissues, life-threatening sepsis can occur.
An estimated 8% to 20% of people who have had cellulitis will deal with recurring cellulitis.If you’re one of them, talk with your healthcare provider about prophylactic oral antibiotics. Research has shown that they can help reduce the risk of recurrence.
Summary
Cellulitis is a bacterial skin infection that causes pain, warmth, redness, and swelling in the affected body area, most commonly the legs and feet. Oral antibiotic treatment will typically clear symptoms within ten days.
If your infection doesn’t respond to oral antibiotics, you’ll likely be given IV antibiotics. Should your cellulitis progress and result in complications, surgery may be required to prevent sepsis.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cellulitis.American College of Physicians.Spare the emergency visit for skin and soft-tissue infections.Sullivan T, de Barra E.Diagnosis and management of cellulitis.Clin Med (Lond).2018 Mar;18(2):160-163. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-160Ramakrishnan K, Salinas RC, Agudelo Higuita NI.Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(6):474-483.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cellulitis.Cranendonk DR, Lavrijsen APM, Prins JM, Wiersinga WJ.Cellulitis: current insights into pathophysiology and clinical management.Neth J Med. 2017 Nov;75(9):366-378.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cellulitis.American College of Physicians.Spare the emergency visit for skin and soft-tissue infections.Sullivan T, de Barra E.Diagnosis and management of cellulitis.Clin Med (Lond).2018 Mar;18(2):160-163. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-160Ramakrishnan K, Salinas RC, Agudelo Higuita NI.Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(6):474-483.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cellulitis.Cranendonk DR, Lavrijsen APM, Prins JM, Wiersinga WJ.Cellulitis: current insights into pathophysiology and clinical management.Neth J Med. 2017 Nov;75(9):366-378.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cellulitis.American College of Physicians.Spare the emergency visit for skin and soft-tissue infections.Sullivan T, de Barra E.Diagnosis and management of cellulitis.Clin Med (Lond).2018 Mar;18(2):160-163. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-160Ramakrishnan K, Salinas RC, Agudelo Higuita NI.Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(6):474-483.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cellulitis.Cranendonk DR, Lavrijsen APM, Prins JM, Wiersinga WJ.Cellulitis: current insights into pathophysiology and clinical management.Neth J Med. 2017 Nov;75(9):366-378.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About cellulitis.
American College of Physicians.Spare the emergency visit for skin and soft-tissue infections.
Sullivan T, de Barra E.Diagnosis and management of cellulitis.Clin Med (Lond).2018 Mar;18(2):160-163. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-160
Ramakrishnan K, Salinas RC, Agudelo Higuita NI.Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(6):474-483.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Cellulitis.
Cranendonk DR, Lavrijsen APM, Prins JM, Wiersinga WJ.Cellulitis: current insights into pathophysiology and clinical management.Neth J Med. 2017 Nov;75(9):366-378.
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