Causes and Cures of Cellulitis

Cellulitis is a medical condition characterized by diffused infection in the connective tissues which causes swelling in the subcutaneous layers of the skin but can spread to different parts of the body. Cellulitis generally develops in regions of the skin which were broken previously, or in the cracks in the skin. The face and lower legs are the most commonly affected areas, although this disease can spread to most other parts of the body.
Factors such as bacterial infection, injuries to the skin, infections due to surgeries and diabetes are considered major contributors to the development of cellulitis.

Common Causes Associated with Cellulitis

Common causes of cellulitis in humans include insect bites, animal bites and infections due a previous surgical procedure.
In individuals with a deep cut or wound which exposes the infected bones to bacteria, the risk of developing cellulitis increases by about 10 percent.
Such open wounds are generally more common in patients suffering from diabetes.
In rare cases, drugs such as necrotenia lead to the development of an extremely virulent form of cellulitis.

Bacterial Infection

Staphylococcus and streptococcus are the most common bacteria that cause cellulitis. These bacteria enter the body through a cut or abrasion, then disturb the body's immunity and cause infections like cellulitis, generally near the face or legs.

Common Treatments

The common treatments for cellulitis include resting the infected area at an incline, as this helps reduce the inflammation and the pain and discomfort.
Also antibiotics such as amoxiccilin and benzylpenicillin are commonly administered orally to the patients to reduce the pain of cellulitis.

Intravenous Therapy

Rare and severe cases of cellulitis are treated with intravenous therapy. This treatment continues for about 10 days and includes antibiotics. After around 10 days of the IV therapy the patient can be switched over to oral medication.

Prevention and Cure of Cellulitis

As a patient with cellulitis generally suffers a lot of pain and the disease usually takes about a month to be completely cured and treated.
Preventive measures include dressing and cleaning of any wound, and changing the dressing daily.