Cellulitis is a popular, medical infection that affects the skin in different body parts such as the lower feet. Potentially severe, the infection that is caused by bacteria can easy spread from the skin surface to the lymph system and bloodstream. Such an infected area is always hot and tender to touch, appears red and swollen. Knowing its impacts, it is essential for the patient to seek immediate cellulitis treatments. Failure to get a medical attention, the infection might be life threatening. The right procedure of seeking for medical attention and treatment is by knowing its causes. This article will discuss the causes of cellulitis.
Different causes of cellulitis
Cellulitis, an infection caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus and streptococcus, is treatable. The bacteria enters your body via either ulcers, surgical incisions, skin breaks that dermatitis causes, athlete’s foot, puncture sounds or small cuts. Cellulitis does not fall under the categories of contagious infections because it affects the subcutaneous dermis tissue, and the deep layers of the skin. The top layer of your skin or the epidermis is capable of providing protection against an infection. In such a case, cellulitis is not similar to impetigo, which falls under superficial infections that are contagious. Well, you should have a look at the different causes of cellulitis before you seek for its treatment.
Staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria can cause cellulitis that is passed on to people via spiders’ and insects’ bites. A swollen, flaky and dry skin can also encourage the invasion of bacteria to your body. Cellulitis commonly occurs in a damaged skin surface because it encourages bacteria invasion. These bacteria do attack the tissue and skin beneath.
At times it is a challenge to identify a small skin cuts. However, some people get cellulitis whenever their broken skins are exposed to bacteria contaminated water. Fungal infections are rare cases that cause cellulitis. Nonetheless, fungal cellulitis does affect people who have severely weak immune systems such as those in the last stages of HIV infections and not reacting to treatment.
There are several health conditions and factors that can increase the risks of getting cellulitis. For instance, obesity, weak immune systems, poor blood circulation, lymphoedema, use of intravenous drugs, poorly controlled diabetes, and a previous case of cellulitis. Let us discuss a few of these factors.
Obesity: obese people experience legs swelling, which is a factor that can increase the occurrence of cellulitis. Obesity is a condition that is caused by having an overweight body, which falls from a BMI (body mass index) of at least 30 or more. There are several online healthy weight calculators for checking your BMI.
Weak immune system: if you undergo a medical condition such as HIV/AIDS it might weaken your immune system. As a result, your body experiences challenges of fighting against bacteria or fungal infections such as cellulitis.Diabetes that is poorly controlled: if you are facing diabetes type 1 or type 2 and fail to frequently control or treat, it can make your immune system weak.