Cellulitis Health Video

Cellulitis is a potentially dangerous skin condition, and seeing a professional right away is encouraged. Learn about cellulitis from a doctor in this video on skin care.

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Circle the red area with a pen
If the red area spreads, you must see a doctor

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Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, the author of the book Six Weeks to Sensational Skin, is a board certified dermatologist who has made numerous appearances on television shows such as Good Morning America. She holds a degree from Hunter College in New York, an M.D. from Downstate University at SUNY, and did her residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Ciraldo has been a board-certified dermatologist since 1982, and is currently a voluntary professor at the University of Miami, where she runs a clinic in cosmetic dermatology.

LORETA CIRALDO, MD, FAAD: Hi, I'm Dr. Loreta Ciraldo, a voluntary professor of Dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine and a practicing dermatologist for nearly 30 years. There is a condition that you may have heard of, called cellulitis, and I'd like to tell you just what it is, because this is basically something that you can somewhat self-diagnose, but if you believe that you have cellulitis, I want you to get medical treatment ASAP. Cellulitis basically is the medical term for an infection of the lower layers of the skin, the so called dermis of the skin, and what does appears as a red patch on your skin. If you get a red patch on your skin that almost looks like an insect bite, what you want to be sure of this, first of all, if it's an insect bite, it would typically be itchy or you might have a little portal of entry for the insect. So if you have something like this and it lasts a day or two, it's probably a bite. But if instead of it being the typical insect bite, it's a red swollen area on the skin, typically a little bit hot to the touch and also is sensitive when you touch it, then you may be suffering from cellulitis. If you are in a situation where you cannot immediately get to a doctor, I'm going to ask you to make a little circle around it in pen and wait 6 hours or so. If over time, you see that this area is expanding, then you need to be getting to the doctor. If you see that the circle suddenly has got a little line coming up, which we call streaking, you may immediately need to get to the doctor at the emergency room because you may have cellulitis that even requires intravenous therapy. So remember the term cellulitis, keep these pointers in mind, and if in doubt, see a doctor or go to the ER.

Cellulitis Health Video

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