Cellulitis



Celluitis and cellulite are two different conditions. In the strictest sense, the two conditions are not even remotely related. Cellulitis infection is a non contagious condition that is simply an infection of the skin or dermis and the subcutaneous tissues underneath. In some people, cellulitis infection may just be a surface condition but more severe forms of the infection may penetrate deeper. An untreated person with cellulitis infection may suffer from deeper flesh infections, blood poisoning and nerve damage. In these severe cases, cellulitis infection could become life threatening.

Symptoms

Cellulitis infection can occur in any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the leg areas. A person with cellulitis infection could have red, swollen skin areas that are also warm, tender and painful. The red areas could spread further into other neighboring skin areas. As the bacteria release their toxins, a person could also suffer from fever and chills as the body reacts to the spread of toxins.

Causes

Bacteria are the main culprit for cellulitis infection. Although different kinds of bacteria may cause cellulitis infection, most cases of this kind of infection are caused by staphylococci or streptococci bacteria that find their way into open wounds, cuts and punctures. Although the condition is not contagious, anyone with a cut or wound could get an infection by coming into direct contact with bacteria on other people's wounds.

Cellulitis and Surgery

Although cellulitis is not a related condition to cellulite, a person who has undergone a surgical procedure to treat cellulite may run the risk of suffering from this condition. It is a known fact that poorly performed and poorly monitored surgical procedures could result in cellulitis infection. A cellulite leg incision therefore that is not properly cleaned could make it more open to bacteria causing infection.

Risk Factors

The risk is higher for those individuals who have diabetes, weak immune systems and poor blood circulation. These risk factor conditions may be present in a lot of older individuals. This is then an additional reason why surgical methods may not be particularly advisable to treat the cellulite conditions of older people.

Prevention

Reduce the risk of developing a cellulitis infection by selecting a highly qualified and expert surgeon to perform the procedure. Aside from choosing an expert doctor, there are also a couple of things that you could do after surgery to help reduce the risk of infections.

You should properly look after your surgical incision and regularly clean it as instructed by your doctor. Depending on your doctor's advice, you may use soap, water, antiseptic solutions, antibiotic creams and clean dressings on your incision. Proper hygiene after surgery is the best prevention against cellulitis infection. You should also allow for a period of recovery before getting back to your usual daily activities. Be extra sensitive to signs of possible infection.