Read up on Cellulitis and erysipelas treatment options at Consumer Reports Health.

Cellulitis and erysipelas

Key points about treatments

If you have cellulitis or erysipelas and you are treated quickly, you're very likely to make a complete recovery.

antibiotics
These medications are used to help your immune system fight infection. There are a number of different types of antibiotics that work in different ways to get rid of bacteria, parasites and other infectious agents. Antibiotics do not work against viruses.

Antibiotics cure almost everyone with cellulitis if treatment is started quickly.
Some people need to be treated in the hospital.
You may need to have antibiotics as a drip into your veins (also called an

intravenous infusion
When a medicine or a fluid, such as blood, is fed directly into a vein, it's called an intravenous infusion (or IV). To give you an intravenous infusion, a nurse, technician or a doctor places a narrow plastic tube into a vein (usually in your arm) using a needle. The needle is then removed and the fluid is infused (or dripped) through the tube into the vein.

intravenous infusion or IV). You'll probably switch to pills when your cellulitis starts to improve.
If your cellulitis is mild, you'll probably just take antibiotic pills.
The antibiotic you are given will depend on what caused your cellulitis.

This information was last updated on Nov 07, 2008

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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