Facial cellulitis is commonly caused by the streptococcus and staphylococcus bacteria. It can be contacted from immersion in fresh or saltwater or through an open wound which the bacteria can invade. Sometimes it has no apparent cause at all. It affects individuals of any age and spares no one. The skin infection is usually found in the legs, arms and face areas. It is when it occurs on a persons face that it is most dangerous especially in children. The infection is so serious as to warrant a separate name; facial cellulitis. This form can lead to some serious difficulties especially in children that those complications of facial cellulitis cannot be underestimated.
A child showing symptoms of facial cellulitis should be taken to a doctor as soon as possible. These signs include facial swelling that is reddish in color. The child is in pain and having fever with accompanying chilling. His tongue would be swollen and tender. He also exhibits lack of appetite and is nauseated. Cellulitis in children can affect the eyes. When such an infection occurs, it is called periorbital cellulitis. This form of the skin affection can affect the whites of the eye as well as swelling the eyelids.
When periorbital cellulitis is present, the optic nerves and the eye muscles are at risk. The skin infection can easily affect these tissues, which cause vision impairment that often leads to permanent blindness. Leaving such a skin infection as cellulitis untreated then, can lead to blindness at an early age. Another complication of the skin infection in children is bacterial meningitis caused by the spread of the infection on the child’s bone. There are cases where the blood is infected as well which causes serious blood poisoning or sepsis. Early detection of the disease plays a vital role in the complete treatment of facial cellulitis in a child. Any telltale sign of the skin infection should then be taken seriously by the parents. There is an added risk of a child being infected by any disease for reason of his age, so watch out for even the slightest signs as early prevention results in an early cure.
