HomeHealth TopicsSkin Hair NailsSkin Infections
Back to Skin Hair Nails
Skin Infections
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Skin Hair Nails

Skin Infections

Skin infections occur when germs enter the body through wounds or moist skin, or due to a weakened immune system.

Overview

Your skin is your body's largest organ. It has many different functions, including covering and protecting your body. It helps keep germs out. But sometimes the germs can cause a skin infection. It often happens when the germs enter your body through a break, cut, or wound on your skin. Other skin infections can happen in places where the skin rubs together, especially if the area is moist. Infections can also happen when you have a poor blood supply to an area of your body or if your immune system is weakened because of another disease or a medical treatment.

Some skin infections cover a small area on the top of your skin. Other infections can go deep into your skin or spread to a larger area.

What causes skin infections?

Skin infections are caused by different kinds of germs. For example:

  • Bacteria cause cellulitis, impetigo, and staphylococcal (staph) infections
  • Viruses cause shingles, warts, and herpes simplex
  • Fungi cause athlete's foot and yeast infections
  • Parasites cause body lice, head lice, and scabies

Who is more likely to get a skin infection?

You are more likely to get a skin infection if you:

  • Have poor circulation
  • Have diabetes
  • Are older
  • Have an immune system disease, such as HIV
  • Have a weakened immune system because of chemotherapy or other medicines that suppress your immune system
  • Have to stay in one position for a long time, such as if you are sick and have to stay in bed for a long time or you are paralyzed
  • Are malnourished
  • Have excessive skinfolds, which can happen if you have obesity

What are the symptoms of skin infections?

The symptoms depend on the type of infection. Some symptoms that are common to many skin infections include rashes, swelling, redness, pain, pus, and itching.

Diagnosis

To diagnose a skin infection, your health care provider will do a physical exam and ask about your symptoms. You may have lab tests, such as a skin culture. This is a test to identify what type of infection you have, using a sample from your skin. Your provider may take the sample by swabbing or scraping your skin or removing a small piece of skin (biopsy). Sometimes providers use other tests, such as blood tests.

Treatment & Management

The treatment depends on the type of infection and how serious it is. Some infections will go away on their own. When you do need treatment, it may include a cream or lotion to put on the skin. Other possible treatments include medicines and a procedure to drain pus.

Frequently Asked Questions

First, keep the wound clean with saline and a sterile dressing, and off‑load pressure (e.g., special shoes or a total contact cast). Monitor daily for increased redness, swelling, foul odor, or fever. Because diabetic ulcers can progress rapidly, schedule an appointment with a podiatrist or wound‑care specialist within 24‑48 hours for evaluation and possible antibiotics.
thlete’s foot typically causes itching, scaling, and a moist, macerated skin between toes, often with a “mildly burning” sensation. Impetigo presents as honey‑colored crusts or vesicles that break open, usually without itching. A clinician can confirm the cause with a skin scraping or culture; antifungal creams treat athlete’s foot, while topical or oral antibiotics are needed for impetigo.
Rapidly expanding redness, warmth, swelling, and fever are classic signs of cellulitis, a bacterial infection that usually requires oral antibiotics (e.g., cephalexin or clindamycin). Prompt treatment reduces the risk of deeper tissue involvement, so see a clinician as soon as possible.
Mild superficial staph infections (e.g., small impetigo lesions) may respond to OTC topical antibiotics containing bacitracin or mupirocin, but resistance is common. If the lesion is larger than 2 cm, painful, or accompanied by fever, you should see a clinician for prescription therapy; delayed treatment can lead to deeper infection.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

kontakt@hittavard.se

Ⓒ 2024. Alla rättigheter förbehålls av juxt ab

Sök
Om ossVillkor och policyVanliga frågorKontakta oss