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Cellulitis and erysipelas occur when germs called bacteria infect your skin. This makes a patch of skin red and inflamed.

Your skin normally stops germs (called bacteria) from getting into your body and doing you harm. But they can get in and cause an infection if:¹

• Your skin has a cut or scrape
• You've had a cut during surgery
• You have an open sore (ulcer).

Occasionally, cellulitis can start when there's no obvious wound on the skin.¹

Cellulitis and erysipelas are similar. The main difference is that cellulitis affects a deep layer of your skin and the layer of fat just underneath it. Erysipelas affects your skin nearer the surface. But doctors can't always tell the two apart.² And they're both treated in the same way.

Cellulitis normally occurs on your legs or your arms. It can make your skin red and sore. You might hear your condition called erysipelas rather than cellulitis if the inflamed patch of skin is on your face.

Because the germs that cause cellulitis can get into your body through a cut or wound in your skin, you're more at risk if you have a wound that doesn't heal easily. You may be more at risk if you have:³

• Open sores (ulcers)
• Bed sores (pressure sores). You can get these if you've been bedridden for a long time (if you've had a stroke, for example)
• Athlete's foot. This is an infection in the skin on your feet (usually between your toes), which is caused by a fungus.

You are also more at risk if:

• You have recently had surgery
• You have lymphedema (a swelling in your arm or leg). You get it if your body's lymphatic system can't drain fluid in the way it should.³ Some people are born with it, or it can occur after surgery or radiation therapy. ⁴
• An insect or animal bites you
• You get water (from the sea or a river, for example) in a cut.¹ But this is rare.

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. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.