Cellulitis

Symptoms

The main symptom is the sudden onset of spreading redness.
The borders of the redness are not sharp.
The redness is very painful and tender to touch.
Mild skin swelling in the infected area.
Sometimes, red streaks move up the arm or leg from the infection site. This is a bad sign.
Fever is only present 10% of the time.

Causes

Skin Wounds. Most often, a break in the skin is the entry for germs that cause this. Skin breaks can be from puncture wounds, cuts, scratches, or bites.
Skin rashes. Itchy rashes can cause scratch marks. Any break in the skin can get infected. Some itchy rashes are eczema, chickenpox, scabies, insect bites and poison ivy.
Cellulitis of the eyelids can be from a sinus infection.
Cellulitis of the cheek can be from a tooth abscess.
Staph and Strep are the most common bacteria that cause this.

Allergic Reactions: How to Know It's Not Cellulitis

Cellulitis can be confused with local skin allergic reactions because they look alike. They both have spreading redness. Bee stings cause the most confusion.
But cellulitis is painful, not itchy.
And local skin allergic reactions (as to insect bites) are itchy, not painful.

Overview:

Cellulitis of the skin needs an antibiotic to stop the spread.
The drug can get into the deeper tissues.
An antibiotic by mouth given at home usually works.
Severe cellulitis may need meds given through a vein. For these cases, children are often in the hospital.
Here is some care advice that should help.

Antibiotic by Mouth:

Pain:

For pain, give acetaminophen every 4 hours OR ibuprofen every 6 hours. Use as needed.

Fever:

For fevers above 102° F (39° C), give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen. Note: Lower fevers are important for fighting infections.
For ALL fevers: Keep your child well hydrated. Give lots of cold fluids.

What to Expect:

After 24 hours on antibiotic: Symptoms will stop getting worse. Redness will stop spreading.
After 48 hours (2 days): Any fever should be gone. The site may look the SAME (not improved).
After 72 hours (3 days): Redness and pain at the site should start to be better. Your child should also feel better.
After treatment is done: The site should no longer be red or tender. Your child should feel back to normal.

Return to School:

Your child can go back to school after the fever is gone.
Your child should also feel well enough to join in normal activities.
Cellulitis has a very low risk of spread to others. Reason: there is no drainage.

Definition