Cellulitis:
Information for adults

There are no self-care options for cellulitis. While you are awaiting an appointment with your physician, you can elevate the involved body part in order to minimize swelling.
If you develop a tender, red, warm, enlarging area on your skin, make an appointment with your physician as soon as possible. If you also have fever and chills, or if the area involves the face, you should go to the emergency room.

If you are currently being treated for a skin infection that has not improved after 2–3 days of antibiotics, return to your doctor.

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is a strain of "staph" bacteria resistant to antibiotics in the penicillin family, which have been the cornerstone of antibiotic therapy for staph and skin infections for decades. CA-MRSA previously infected only small segments of the population, such as health care workers and persons using injection drugs. However, CA-MRSA is now a common cause of skin infections in the general population. While CA-MRSA bacteria are resistant to penicillin and penicillin-related antibiotics, most staph infections with CA-MRSA can be easily treated by health care practitioners using local skin care and commonly available non-penicillin-family antibiotics. Rarely, CA-MRSA can cause the serious skin and soft tissue (deeper) infection cellulitis, which requires intravenous (IV) antibiotics in most people to clear the infection. If you think you may have a cellulitis, contact your doctor immediately.