Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin and the tissue beneath it. It usually starts where the skin has been broken — a bite, a scratch, athlete’s foot between the toes — and shows as a warm, red, tender area that spreads over hours or days, most often on the lower leg.
Caught early and mild, it’s treated with a five-day course of flucloxacillin. Our pharmacists can now assess and supply that privately for adults, including for infected insect bites and paronychia (an infected nail fold). Drawing round the edge with a pen is a genuinely useful way to see whether it’s spreading.
Some cases are not for the pharmacy: fever or shivering, rapid spread, red streaks running up the limb, infection around the eye, or anyone with diabetes, poor circulation or a weakened immune system. Those need same-day medical care.
15-minute pharmacist consultation, supplied under a Patient Group Direction. Book a time at your branch or walk in.
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