Severe itching on both legs

[Oblate]

Twenty five years ago I had what was diagnosed as erythema nodosum. In the intervening years I have had two more attacks. A few weeks ago I thought I had the infection yet again but a week ago the itching started and there was a leading redder edge on both legs and more darker, angrier areas.
My doctor diagnosed cellulitis and has given me Flucloxacillin 500 mg and Penicillin 250 mg for  28 days. Four days on and the itching is still really bad.

In researching cellulitis, I haven't found any mention of itching being a symtom and wonder if I really have cellulitis, or have erythema complicated by cellulitis.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

This seems to be cellulitis, though nothing can be said with surety without having a look at the lesions.

You need to wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites.

Apply calamine lotion at the site of the lesions and see if it helps. You could take some oral antihistamine medications like cetrizine or loratadine. You need to maintain a good personal hygiene .

Anti-itch drugs, often antihistamine, may reduce the itch during a flare up of eczema, and the reduced scratching in turn reduces damage and irritation to the skin.

Cellulitis is an infection of the deep subcutaneous tissue of the skin. Cellulitis can be caused by normal skin flora or by exogenous bacteria, and often occurs where the skin has previously been broken: cracks in the skin, cuts, blisters, burns, insect bites, surgical wounds, or sites of intravenous catheter insertion. Skin on the face or lower legs is most commonly affected by this infection, though cellulitis can occur on any part of the body. The mainstay of therapy remains treatment with appropriate antibiotics.

Treatment consists of resting the affected limb or area, cleaning the wound site if present (with debridement of dead tissue if necessary) and treatment with oral antibiotics, except in severe cases, which may require admission and intravenous (IV) therapy.

Do get your blood sugar levels checked to rule out diabetes.

It would be best to consult a doctor to find out the cause of your symptoms.

Let us know if you need any other information.

Regards.