About this topic
Cellulitis is an infection of your skin and the layers below your skin. Germs can enter your body through the skin from a cut, scratch, or insect or animal bite. It can affect any part of the body where there is skin, but most often affects the face, arms, and legs. The infected area gets red, warm, painful, swollen, and irritated. Cellulitis can be treated with drugs, like antibiotics. A surgical procedure to drain the infection may be needed. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do to care for your child.
- If your child needs drugs to take at home, get the prescription filled right away. Have your child start taking them as ordered.
- Help your child prop the area on pillows. This will help with swelling and pain.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your childs cellulitis. Ask the doctor about:
- When you should change the bandages.
- If you need to keep the affected area clean and dry.
- When your child may take a bath or shower.
- Make sure your child does not squeeze, scratch, or rub the affected area.
- Wash your hands before and after cleaning the area.
- Apply clean, warm compresses to help relieve pain and swelling. Wet a clean wash cloth or small towel and put it on the area for 5 to 10 minutes.
- You can draw a line with a waterproof marker around the affected area to see if it is getting bigger or smaller. Call the doctor if the area is getting much bigger, is more tender, or your child has more pain.
What follow-up care is needed?
- The doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your childs progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If surgery was needed to drain the infection, the doctor may leave the area open. Keep this area clean. Protect it from dirt and dust in the air.
- If your child has stitches or staples, they will need to be taken out. The doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain and swelling
- Fight an infection
Will physical activity be limited?
Your childs activity may be limited if a leg, hand, or arm is infected. It may hurt to move that part of the body. Your child may not feel well for a few days until the drug to treat the infection starts working. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Infection in the blood. This is sepsis.
- Bone infection
- Inflammation of the lymph vessels or the heart
- Meningitis
- Shock
- Tissue death or gangrene
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Have your child wear proper clothing and shoes to cover the body and prevent cuts and bruises.
- Make sure your childs immunizations are up-to-date.
- When trimming your child's nails, avoid harming the skin around them.
- Keep your child's skin moisturized. Apply lotion that does not have fragrance added to avoid dry, cracked skin.
- Teach and practice good hygiene. Have your child wash hands often with soap and warm water.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, or wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Area is getting bigger
- You see red streaks going up your childs arm or leg
- Increasing pain with movement
- Feeling weak or dizzy
- Your child is not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or your child is feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you about your child. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my childs condition.
- I can tell you how to care for my child's wound.
- I can tell you what I will do if my child has swelling, redness, or warmth around the wound.
Where can I learn more?
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/cellulitis.html# ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚