Being the largest organ of the human body, the skin is no stranger to some infections. But what are these infections? What causes them, and how do you treat them? There are many bacterial skin infections, with different causes affecting people of all ages. You can get a bacterial skin infection if you don’t maintain your health and hygiene and come in contact with someone who has an infection. While antibiotics are typically recommended as a treatment for a bacterial skin infection, there are several other ways to treat and prevent a bacterial skin infection from happening. Let’s delve further into these bacterial infections.
What is the most common bacterial skin infection?
Bacterial skin infections can range from simple infections to more severe and dangerous conditions. They are caused by bacteria that enter the body through cuts or wounds. The most common bacterial skin infections are impetigo, caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, boils, and cellulitis.
This type of bacteria lives in the nose and throat but can also spread to other body parts. Impetigo is often seen in children and young adults. It appears as clusters of small blisters that may ooze fluid or pus. The blisters usually develop on the face, arms or legs, but they can appear anywhere on the body. It’s a highly contagious infection that causes red bumps on the skin, breaking open and oozing fluid. Impetigo is most common in children aged between two and five years old.
What does a bacterial skin infection look like?
A bacterial skin infection can be very painful and uncomfortable. It can also be difficult to treat because the bacteria usually adapt to antibiotic treatment and become resistant.
Bacterial skin infections are red, swollen, painful, and warm. The affected area may be covered in a crusty yellow or white layer of dead skin cells called pus. This pus contains white blood cells, bacteria that have multiplied rapidly on the skin’s surface, and dead tissue from damaged tissue underneath.
Bacterial skin infections can occur anywhere on the body, but they are most common in places where skin comes into contact with moisture. For example:
- Around the waist (groin) and buttocks
- In the armpits (axilla) and groin area
- On the scalp and face
- Around the breasts and nipples
- In between fingers and toes
What are the five types of skin infections?
Other types of bacterial skin infections include folliculitis (infection of hair follicles), cellulitis (an infection that causes redness and swelling), paronychia (inflammation around a fingernail or toenail), furuncles (boils), and erysipelas (an infection that affects the dermis).
Additional bacterial skin infections include carbuncles (disfiguring lesions), erythrasma (red or brown patches), MRSA (a type of staph infection), Staphylococcus aureus (a type of bacteria that can cause skin infections and other illnesses).
Folliculitis generally is either hot tub folliculitis or bacterial folliculitis.
How do you get rid of bacterial skin infections?
Bacterial skin infections are caused by bacteria that have entered your body through a cut or wound. You can get them from other people, animals, or even objects like razors, knives, and nail clippers.
Bacteria are everywhere, and most of the time, they don’t cause any problems. But if you have a cut or wound infected with bacteria, you’ll probably develop a bacterial skin infection.
There are different bacterial skin infections — some are more common than others — but they’re usually easy to treat with antibiotics. Antibiotics kill the bacteria that cause the infection and help your body fight off the infection. The sooner you start taking them after getting a bacterial skin infection, the better chance you have of fighting it off without complications.
How did I get a bacterial skin infection?
Bacterial skin infections are caused by microorganisms that live on many people’s skin without causing any symptoms. However, when these bacteria enter your body through a break in your skin surface, they can cause an infection. The most common way to get a bacterial skin infection is by contacting an infected person or animal. Bacteria don’t always cause infections. For example, many bacteria live on our bodies and don’t cause problems unless they get into a cut or wound.
How long does it take for a bacterial skin infection to go away?
Bacterial skin infections are generally more severe than viral infections and may last longer. Some bacteria are more resistant to antibiotics than others and may require a different treatment plan. These infections may also lead to complications if not treated properly.
A bacterial skin infection can take anywhere from two days to several weeks to clear up. The time it takes depends on how bad the infection is, how much damage it causes and how long you’ve had it.
For example, an uncomplicated cut that’s only been infected for a few days should heal quickly with proper treatment. However, if you have an open wound that has been infected for weeks or months, it could take several weeks or months to heal completely.
What happens if a bacterial skin infection goes untreated?
They can become very serious if left untreated. A bacterial skin infection will usually begin as red bumps or pimples, turning into pus-filled blisters. The infection may spread to other areas of your body, such as your lymph nodes and blood.
If you have a bacterial skin infection and it goes untreated, you could develop more serious complications that require hospitalization.
A bacterial skin infection can be dangerous if treated quickly and properly. A common example of this is cellulitis — an infection that causes painful redness and swelling in one area of your body. The condition is often caused by bacteria entering your body through small cuts or open sores on the surface of your skin.
What happens if you don’t treat a bacterial skin infection?
Bacterial skin infections are not uncommon, but they can be painful and difficult to treat. Bacteria can infect the skin in several ways, but the most common is through cuts or scratches in the skin.
If you have a bacterial skin infection, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Left untreated, these infections can spread to other areas of your body and may become life-threatening. If you have a bacterial skin infection and don’t seek treatment, it can spread to other parts of your body. This is called systemic dissemination and usually involves bacteria entering your bloodstream through the infected area on your body’s surface.
Bacteria that enter your bloodstream can cause serious damage to your vital organs and even result in death if not treated quickly enough by medical professionals.
How contagious is a bacterial skin infection?
They can be contagious, although there are variations among different bacterial infections.
Bacterial skin infections that are spread by direct contact include impetigo, folliculitis, and cellulitis. Impetigo is highly contagious and can be spread through close contact with an infected person or by touching items contaminated by the bacteria causing impetigo. Folliculitis can be spread through close contact with an infected person, but it’s not as easily transmitted as impetigo. Cellulitis is spread through direct contact with an infected wound or skin lesion. Still, it may also be transferred to other body parts through blood or lymph circulation if you have widespread cellulitis. Bacteria on the skin surface can also be transferred to your eyes, mouth, and throat if you come into contact with them while they’re still alive.
Do bacterial skin infections go away on their own?
Yes. If the underlying cause of a bacterial skin infection is removed, it may go away within a few days to weeks without medical intervention. However, this does not always happen, and some bacterial skin infections may require antibiotic treatment and other treatments to clear up completely. It is far safer to seek medical attention and avoid the risk of ending up with major medical problems.
What is the most serious skin infection?
A skin infection is an inflammation of the skin caused by a bacterial or fungal organism. Skin infections can be superficial or deep-seated and may be limited to one area of the body, or they can spread to other body parts. The most serious skin infection is cellulitis, which involves the lymphatic system and can be life threatening if it spreads to the bloodstream and other organs.
What is the best antibiotic for a bacterial skin infection?
Bacteria is the cause most skin infections. They can be treated with antibiotics. These are usually given as tablets, injections, creams, or sprays.
The choice of antibiotic depends on several factors:
- Type of infection (bacterial vs. fungal)
- Your age and health (pregnant women may need to take a different antibiotic)
- Whether you’ve had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic before
- How severe are your symptoms
Why Vitastem Ultra for Treating Bacterial Skin Infections?
Vitastem Ultra was developed over 10 years by a team of leading doctors and scientists and has been treating severe bacterial skin infections for over a decade now. Vitastem Ultra’s remarkable results can be best exemplified in restoring mobility resulting from helping patients avoid countless amputations and healing debilitating skin infections such as diabetic ulcers, MRSA, and staph infections too.
Vitastem Ultra, even when treating the most severe infections, is capable of:
- Prevention of infection
- Improve blood flow to injured cells by restoring and improving blood flow
- Reduce inflammation
- Support tissue growth
- Remove and kill all bacteria from the affected areas
Although most infections aren’t very severe, Vitastem Ultra guarantees you will never again need another first aid & topical antibiotic spray for cuts, wounds, and other skin infections. Whether your infection is due to a cut you got from garden improvement casualty or it’s more severe, like a diabetic ulcer, Vitastem Ultra provides exceptional wound care results and relief.
Other than Vitastem Ultra, all antibiotics are based on what’s known as a chemical “mechanism to kill.” This means that the antibiotic slowly kills the bacteria by either applying (if topically) or absorbing (if orally) more of it over time. This can be effective, but it is slower. This also allows bacteria to evolve and develop resistance against the medicine.
Vitastem Ultra, which uses both a physical and chemical mechanism to kill pathogens, is a combination of both. Vitastem Ultra’s strength is dependent on the physical mechanism of killing. Vitastem also treats the condition and injects skin cells with vitamin D3 or vitamin C. Vitastem Ultra, uses a patent-pending, specialized mixture of ingredients, and has created a transdermal drug delivery system that allows the active ingredient, Bacitracin Zinc (500 units Bacitracin in 1g), 10x stronger and deeper than other products on the market today.