Does this look like cellulitis?

[Peanut9904]

I fell off my bike at the weekend and scraped a huge patch of skin off my arm. It’s been very wet and weepy but I’ve tried to keep it covered. However I am allergic to a lot of plasters and it got to the point where the skin was so inflamed and sore from those I’ve had to avoid a dressing today and kept it uncovered. Today it’s sore around the edge of the wound, but I’m not sure if that’s due to the plasters.

Pics are from day 1 to now! I can’t decide if redness is spreading or if I’m paranoid.

No but keep an eye for infection:)

Draw around the redness and monitor it.

Is it hot to the touch?

No it looks like a big graze with tiny bit of understandable redness around the ages as appropriate for healing.

I'd call the GP tomorrow as a priority or a minor injuries unit.

It though cellulitis was internal (not medical) but it look like it need attention. Assume it hot to touch? Bathe with saltwater and take paracetamol .

Suppose if it get much worse go to A &e but all the a & E stories on here sound horrendous.

Personally I would leave it alone and not make it or myself miserable with saltwater.

It will probably be a lot happier left open especially as you are allergic to plasters which will have made the whole thing worse.

I’ve been putting salt water on but the top layer has dried up now so I’ve stopped. Im more worried about the red skin around it to be honest than the actual wound. I’ve got an existing scar there as well which might make it look worse (also from falling off my bike 🤔)

It doesn’t look like when I had cellulitis, but if you are concerned monitor it and you could always call 111 in the morning. The pain was unreal when I had cellulitis, it felt “wrong” somehow.

It's red round the edges but the body expands all the tiny blood vessels to help bring everything it needs to heal the graze.

Cellulitis is spreading across the limb, hot, painful and makes you feel horrendous. Not a bit of red just at the edge of a healthy graze.

I had cellulitis from an insect bite and the pain was literally unbearable...... I felt like I wanted to pull my leg off with it. That looks like an angry graze - I'd leave it well alone and let it heal. Don't cover it with plasters, you need to let it dry out.

No it looks like road rash. Bloody painful.

It looks like it could just be healing. But as suggested above, draw a line round it and monitor. The local signs of infection are , redness, heat, swelling. Does it feel hot or swollen?

It’s not really hot or swollen. Quite sore but the pain feels more like chaffing than from the wound!

No it’s not cellulitis. It is a bad craze and in sure it’s very sore but it would be hot, swollen and red and you maybe would feel poorly with cellulitis. These are some frankly hideous photos of my leg when I was hospitalized with cellulitis, and developed sepsis…

*graze

I have had cellulitis and it wasn't as bad as others have described although it was pretty awful. Just saying that so you know it doesn't have to be horrendous to be cellulitis. Having said that don't think your graze looks that bad but to be sure I would draw a line around the area so you can monitor if it grows.

No. But who knows. OH had it for 10 days before we realised as it looked so small/mild.

keep an eye on it. Is the pink area outside the scab sore?

Also saying that's a nasty graze, it's not cellulitis.