How do u get cellulitis?

You know what’s worse than watching the final season of Game of Thrones? Cellulitis. Yeah, that redness and swelling in your skin is not only an eyesore but also a serious infection that can lead to death if left untreated. But how do you get cellulitis? Is it from being scratched by your cats, or did Susan from accounting give it to you during lunch break? Don’t worry; we’ve got all the answers here.

What Exactly Is Cellulitis?

Before we dive into ways on how to get cellulitis (don’t worry, we’ll mention more than once that this is NOT something you want), let’s first define what cellulitis is. According to those annoyingly medical folk over at WebMD (!), cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin. It usually develops after a cut or wound becomes infected with bacteria such as staphylococcus or streptococcus.

The Most Common Ways People Contract Cellulitis

Without further ado, here are some ways you might accidentally acquire cellulitis:

Wounds

One way people contract cellulite, I mean cell-ul-i-tis, is through open wounds which allow bacteria into deeper layers of skin where they start spreading their germ-infested tentacles like… okay sorry let’s try again without graphic descriptions: “Bacteria finds its way past any opening in your body – be it an incision for surgery, cuts caused by accidents and even minor scratches.”

Insect Bites

Got bitten by mosquitoes while camping last weekend? You unlucky person may have contracted cellulite- oh whoops cough I meant CELLULITIS again!

Animal bites/scratches

Pet lovers watch out! Even though Fluffy may seem sweet 99% percent of the time when he claws ^_^ playfully at his toy, that remaining 1% might involve a nasty nip on your arm which can lead to cellulitis.

Athlete’s Foot

Now don’t get too excited runners with toe fungus… okay maybe stay happy for different reasons. But also know that as much as you’re practicing mindfulness or other tricks to distract yourself from the itching and burning of athlete’s foot, this fungal disease can actually break down skin barriers and put you at greater risk for developing cellulitis in those affected areas.

Is Cellulitis Contagious?

Nope. Take some solace in knowing cellulit..is a bacterial infection that isn’t technically contagious like the flu or herpes (yuck). However, if someone else has cellulitis, it still means their wound is susceptible to germs all around them – so please be sensible and practice good hygiene- cleanse everything regularly!

What Are The Symptoms Of Cellulitis?

If we’ve successfully scared you off these deadly bacterias even just a little bit: here are some symptoms of cellulite would-be victims should look out for:

  • Redness on/around affected area
  • Swelling
  • Pain/tenderness
  • Warmth near infected site
  • Fever/chills

These last two symptoms mean serious business; if present go see a healthcare professional right away!

How To Treat And Prevent It From Spreading

So let’s say you went camping last weekend (or got crept up on by Susan during lunch-hour) and now have all the signs listed above of having contracted CELLULITIS…. don’t panic yet because theeere’s stiiilll hopeee! Here are five ways will help set your mind at ease “-pinky promise.”

Antiseptic creams!

Apply an antiseptic cream immediately when bacteria enters through any sort of open cut or bite (even mosquito), whether due to animal bite, accidents etc. Infection can sometimes even avoid the storm entirely with proper precautions. So, just like ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’… see if it helps to say ‘an antiseptic cream for each little cut will keep any cellulitis far from us!’

Cleanliness

We’ve been taught this since kindergarten but hygiene is key; keeping your surroundings and yourself clean makes all the difference in preventing infection.

Avoid Sharing Clothing And Towels

Unless you don’t mind sharing germs or have extra superpowers that naturally repel bacteria, then by all means!

Antibiotics

For more severe cases of cellulite, antibiotics will be prescribed to help kill off the bacteria. Depending on severity of case medications may be oral or injected – let’s hope we never cross that bridge again..

When To Visit The Doctor

If there’s one thing you should take from this article: if you think you’re developing cellulitis – visiting a doctor ASAP might save your life. Since infected areas may not always show obvious signs right away (i.e symptoms usually won’t become clear until days after bathing yourself in oils shown to attract bugs — asking for a friend), over-the-counter drugs shouldn’t be used as cellphone battery cures in hopes that it eventually disappears miraculously (cough sorry my boss told me I need work on removing run-on sentences).

Final Thoughts…

So now thanks to our lovely listicle above laughs…wait is this still called an article at this point? Who knows?! Anyways hopefully now both those who were unaware and paranoid about how easily they could catch CELLULITIS can take some comfort knowing which activities put them at risk Jokes aside though- remember better safe than sorry when taking care of wounds and aren’t quite sure whether it appears harmless or more complicated than originally thought.

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