Cellulitis is a skin infection caused by bacteria. It not only attacks the surface of the skin but also the tissues beneath it, making it harder to cure than other skin infections which are superficial. The treatment of cellulitis involves a careful preliminary diagnosis to determine whether an inflammation is really caused by an infection or not. There are medical practitioners who do bacteria culturing to determine the cause of the infection, but in the majority of cellulitis cases, the concentration of the bacteria are so low as to give a definite conclusion. A physical examination and medical history of the patient provides some clue, as well as a raised white blood cell count, which is indicative of an infection.
Antibiotics are the usual medication prescribed by dermatologists in treating the skin disease, more so if it is not possible to know if the inflammation is due to an infection or not. Antibiotics for cellulitis are usually derivatives of penicillin but in cases where a patient is allergic to this medication, other antibiotics that are proven effective against the disease are administered. If the condition still does not respond to the antibiotic treatment, it needs to be dealt with other types of treatment. Determining the right type of treatment for this skin disease may require you to consult a physician or a dermatologist. Seeking the help of these medical experts can assist you in relieving the pain as well as quickening the healing process of the damaged skin.
Many cases of the skin infection need to be treated intravenously in hospitals, as there are cases where oral antibiotic treatment does not suffice. However, there are also cases where injections for cellulitis may just be done at home with intravenous antibiotics effective against the disease. In all cellulitis cases, the diagnosis should be based on many factors to ensure the overall safety of a patient. These factors are the specific type of bacteria causing the skin infection, the general health of the patient, where in the body the infection occurred and the extent of the infection. Considering these factors would ensure that the patient would cure the damages done by the skin disease in no time.
