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Cellulitis

Cellulitis (phlegmona) et erysipelas · Flegmóna a erysipel (růže)

What it is

Streptococci or staph invade the deep skin layers.

Symptoms & signs

  • Spreading red hot tender area
  • fever
  • swelling
  • sharply defined edge in erysipelas
  • blistering

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Fever with confusion, fast breathing or mottled skin
  • call 112 / 911 now Pain far worse than the redness looks, or skin turning dark or blistering
  • see a doctor soon Redness spreading fast, or red streaks towards the armpit or groin
  • see a doctor soon Redness around the eye or a swollen eyelid

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Flucloxacillin or clindamycin
  • IV antibiotics if systemically unwell
  • elevate the limb
  • mark the edge to track
  • treat athlete's foot as entry point

Natural & lifestyle

  • Treat cracked skin and fungal infections
  • moisturise
  • compression for chronic oedema
  • weight management

Emerging & experimental

  • Prophylactic penicillin for recurrence (PATCH trial)
  • point-of-care ultrasound to exclude abscess

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Tea-tree oil for athlete's foot — small trials clear the fungus, a common entry point early / small studies
  • Garlic and herbal poultices — no role in a spreading infection; antibiotics are needed anecdotal / traditional

ICD codes