How can I effectively educate patients on the prevention of cellulitis recurrence?

Effective patient education on preventing recurrent cellulitis involves:

• Advising patients to manage underlying risk factors such as diabetes, eczema, venous insufficiency, lymphoedema, leg ulcers, and fungal infections like tinea pedis, as these conditions predispose to cellulitis recurrence.
• Encouraging good skin care practices, including the regular use of emollients to prevent dry and cracked skin, which can serve as entry points for infection.
• Providing weight management advice for patients with obesity to reduce risk.
• Offering foot care advice specifically for people with diabetes to prevent skin breakdown and infection.
• Educating patients to seek prompt medical attention if symptoms worsen rapidly, do not improve within 2–3 days, or if they develop systemic signs of infection.
• Informing patients about the importance of elevating affected limbs to reduce oedema and discomfort during acute episodes, while avoiding compression garments during active cellulitis.
• Providing accessible patient information leaflets from reputable sources such as the British Association of Dermatologists, the Lymphoedema Support Network, and the NHS to reinforce verbal advice.
• Discussing the potential role of antibiotic prophylaxis for those with frequent recurrences (two or more episodes per year), emphasizing that this should be considered under specialist advice due to limited evidence and risks of resistance.

These measures collectively help reduce the risk of cellulitis recurrence by addressing modifiable factors and promoting early recognition and management of infections ¹.