Cellulitis

A cellulitis infection is a bacterial infection of the skin and the tissue underneath. The skin turns red, warm, swollen, and painful, and the redness keeps spreading. Most cases are treated in a single urgent care visit.

What Is It

Cellulitis starts when bacteria, usually strep or staph, get in through a break in the skin. A cut, bug bite, blister, cracked heel, or athlete’s foot can let them in. It shows up most often on the lower legs. It can also affect the arms, the face, or the skin around the eyes. Diabetes, poor circulation, and leg swelling raise your risk.

Symptoms

A red, warm area that grows bigger over hours or days
Swelling and tenderness when you touch it
Skin that looks tight, shiny, or dimpled like an orange peel
Pain that feels deeper than a surface scrape
Fever, chills, or feeling run down
Red streaks spreading away from the area

Not sure it’s cellulitis? Itchy welts that come and go are more likely hives. A painful lump with a soft, pus filled center is more likely an abscess, which often needs to be drained.

Treatment

At your visit: A provider examines the skin and checks for a pocket of pus. Cellulitis is treated with prescription antibiotics, usually for 5 to 10 days. The edge of the redness may be marked so you can watch it shrink.

At home:

Keep the area raised above your heart to ease swelling
Keep it clean, and covered if it drains
Take every dose, even after it starts to look better
Come back if the redness still spreads after 2 days of antibiotics

Most people start feeling better within 2 to 3 days.

When to Get Care for Cellulitis

Watch at Home

Mild redness around a scrape or bite that stays small
Redness that fades within a day
No fever and no growing pain

Come to Urgent Care Today

Red, warm, swollen skin that is spreading
Redness after a cut, bite, or blister
A painful lump that may hold pus
A low fever with a red patch
Diabetes with redness on the foot
No better after 2 to 3 days of antibiotics

Go to the Emergency Department

Redness spreading fast, within hours
High fever, chills, or feeling very sick
Pain far worse than the skin looks
Skin turning purple, black, or blistering
Swelling around the eye with eye pain or vision changes
Confusion or dizziness

FAQ

What is cellulitis?

Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the deeper layers of the skin. It causes a red, warm, swollen, and painful area that keeps spreading. It usually starts at a break in the skin, like a cut, bug bite, or cracked heel.

Can urgent care treat cellulitis?

Yes, urgent care can treat most cellulitis. At Vitality Urgent Care, a provider can examine the skin, check for an abscess, and discuss antibiotic treatment. No appointment or referral is needed.

Is cellulitis contagious?

Cellulitis is rarely contagious, because the infection sits deep under the skin. If the area is draining, keep it covered and wash your hands, since the drainage can carry bacteria.

How fast does cellulitis spread?

Cellulitis can spread over a few hours to a few days. Draw a pen line around the edge of the redness to track it. Redness that crosses the line within hours, or comes with a high fever, needs emergency care.

How do I know cellulitis is healing?

Cellulitis is healing when the redness stops spreading, the pain eases, and any fever is gone within 2 to 3 days of starting antibiotics. The skin may stay pink and peel for a week or two after that.

Is a red, swollen eyelid pink eye or cellulitis?

Pink eye makes the eye itself red and goopy, with little swelling or pain. A swollen, painful eyelid with fever may be cellulitis around the eye and should be seen the same day.

Last reviewed October 2026