How long before antibiotics heal cellulitis? my doctor said i should feel better in a few days. well its been three days and i still feel horrible and my arm is still red and painful. should i wait a little longer for the drugs to work or should i call m

Please : Please call your doctor. Cellulitis is an infection of the tissues under the skin, although it looks like it is on the skin. Because it is deeper, it can take a while to show improvement, but after three days you should be improving. An antibiotic is chosen that covers most types of cellulitis when a patient is diagnosed with cellulitis, but not all antibiotics work for all infections, so you may need a change. If you have increasing redness, red streaks, fever, or increased pain you must be seen as an emergency.

Numerous factors: Recovery time fro m cellulitis varies widely due to many factors including how sensitive the bacteria are to the antibiotic. As long as it isn't getting worse three days is ok. Be sure too take the entire prescription even if symptoms go away in a couple of days if not improving by day 5-7 then call the office. Make note that asking how long is a good question to ask the prescribier 1st visit.

What's the cause ?: Cellulitis is basically a visible inflammation (itis) of the skin and soft tissues (red, hot, swollen and tender) . It can be caused by many things including sunburn (radiation), trauma (sprained ankle) or poor vein circulation (stasis dermatitis). It need not be caused by bacteria. If you have repeated episodes of this, get to a wound care or vascular specialist, the diagnoses you have is wrong.