Cellulitis is a serious infection of your skin or underlying tissue, triggered by skin injury in the presence of certain species of bacteria. A case of cellulitis can potentially threaten your life; treatment typically requires the use of antibiotics. However, you can also take vitamin C for short periods of time to boost your immune system and help your affected skin repair itself.
Cellulitis Basics
Most cases of cellulitis occur in the presence of the bacteria species Streptococcus pyogenes or the species Staphylococcus aureus, according to the "Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals." S. pyogenes and other Streptococcus species produce enzymes that can defeat your body's immune responses and trigger a rapid, spreading infection. Cellulitis infections caused by S. aureus and other Staphylococcus species are usually more localized. In combination with bacteria, skin conditions that can promote the onset of cellulitis include open wounds, abscesses, fungal infections, ulcers and scars at the site of surgeries for you blood vessels or heart.
Vitamin C Basics
Vitamin C is also called ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid. It belongs to a class of substances called water-soluble vitamins, which enter your system in the presence of water, remain in your body for short periods of time and are excreted in your urine. You need vitamin C to form a substance called collagen, which your body uses to make connective tissue and heal the damage associated with wounds. It also helps support your immune system and has antioxidant properties that help repair cellular damage caused free radicals. In addition, it helps your body replenish its supplies of vitamin E and other antioxidants.
Immune System Support
Adults fighting off cellulitis infections can support their immune systems with vitamin C doses of 1,000 mg taken anywhere from 2 to 6 times a day, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. People with hair follicle infections called boils can also develop accompanying cases of cellulitis, the New Zealand Dermatological Society notes. A daily 1,000 mg dose of vitamin C can also potentially provide benefit as a treatment in these circumstances. Additional supplements used to support healing in cases of cellulitis include vitamin E, probiotics, zinc, bromelain and herbs such as goldenseal root, yarrow and echinacea.
Considerations
Because of the potentially seriousness of a cellulitis infection, you can't rely on vitamin C or any other nonmedical treatment to heal your body, the University of Maryland Medical Center explains. Typically, people with cellulitis start a course of antibiotics as soon as their condition is diagnosed. Options commonly used for this purpose include cephalexin, dicloxacillin, nafcillin, oxacillin and moxifloxacin. Once you start antibiotic treatment, ask your doctor about the role vitamin C can play as a supporting factor in your recovery.
References
- "Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals"; Cellulitis; Feb. 2008
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Cellulitis; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; June 13,, 2010
- Office of Dietary Supplements - National Institutes of Health: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet; Vitamin C
- New Zealand Dermatological Society: Boils
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