Healing Stages of Cellulitis

Cellulitis is quite a common bacterial skin infection caused by either the Strep bacteria or the Staph bacteria. The bacteria infiltrate the body through cuts, bruises, or insect bites resulting in inflammation and other classic signs of infection. Any area of the body may get infected with cellulitis but it is mostly seen in the arms, legs, and around the eye region.

For almost all the cases, if the condition is diagnosed and treated early then cellulitis goes away completely. Under normal circumstances, it takes about a week to 10 days for a cellulitis infection to completely go away with a course of antibiotic treatment. In majority of the cases, there is no hospitalization required for treatment of cellulitis unless the infection affects an infant or a severely immunocompromised individual in which case the patient will have to be administered intravenous antibiotics and monitored closely until the infection clears up.

It normally takes around 10 days for cellulitis infection to clear up. Coming to the healing stages, the patient will have to monitor his or her symptoms on a daily basis, especially after starting the course of antibiotics. Within the first two to three days after starting the antibiotic for treating cellulitis if there is significant improvement in pain levels then this becomes an indicator that the treatment is working and the infection is starting to clear. Within a week after starting the course of antibiotics for cellulitis, the additional symptoms of fever, chills, swelling, inflammation, nausea, and vomiting will significantly improve to become almost negligible.

The person suffering from cellulitis should pay close attention to the affected region to check on the status of the skin and check whether the appearance of the skin is improving. If that is the case, then it is also an indicator that the infection is clearing up.

The soreness around the infected region also starts to clear up within a week of starting the antibiotic. The tenderness to palpation and the roughness of the skin around the infected area also starts to improve within a week after starting the antibiotic treatment.

Within 10 days, all the symptoms associated with cellulitis go away and the individual is stated to be cured of the infection. Once an individual has healed completely from cellulitis then it is highly recommended to practice good hygiene especially around the infected area.

An individual needs to avoid situations where he or she may get a cut or a bruise which may result in recurrence of cellulitis. In case if there is a cut or a bruise, he or she needs to apply antibiotic lotion immediately to prevent any bacteria from infiltrating the area and causing infection.

Cellulitis has a tendency to recur, especially if the affected individual has a history of edema, peripheral artery disease, HIV and hence if such individuals get a bruise or an abrasion then they should consult with their physician immediately to prevent themselves from getting infected with cellulitis.

Also Read:

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• Is Cellulitis Itchy?
• How Long Does it take to Recover From Cellulitis?|Is Cellulitis Dangerous?