Breast cellulitis is a serious bacterial infection of the breast skin that is often caused by complications from breast surgery or cancer treatments. Symptoms include redness, swelling, tenderness, and pain of the breast. While most women recover from breast surgery without infection, about 1 in 20 develop breast cellulitis. If not treated promptly with antibiotics, breast cellulitis can lead to life-threatening complications such as blood infections or lymphedema.
Breast cellulitis is a serious bacterial infection of the breast skin that is often caused by complications from breast surgery or cancer treatments. Symptoms include redness, swelling, tenderness, and pain of the breast. While most women recover from breast surgery without infection, about 1 in 20 develop breast cellulitis. If not treated promptly with antibiotics, breast cellulitis can lead to life-threatening complications such as blood infections or lymphedema.
Breast cellulitis is a serious bacterial infection of the breast skin that is often caused by complications from breast surgery or cancer treatments. Symptoms include redness, swelling, tenderness, and pain of the breast. While most women recover from breast surgery without infection, about 1 in 20 develop breast cellulitis. If not treated promptly with antibiotics, breast cellulitis can lead to life-threatening complications such as blood infections or lymphedema.
Breast cellulitis is a serious bacterial infection of the breast skin that is often caused by complications from breast surgery or cancer treatments. Symptoms include redness, swelling, tenderness, and pain of the breast. While most women recover from breast surgery without infection, about 1 in 20 develop breast cellulitis. If not treated promptly with antibiotics, breast cellulitis can lead to life-threatening complications such as blood infections or lymphedema.
but it’s most often the result of complications from surgery or cancer treatments. While most women will go through breast surgery without developing an infection, about 1 in 20 women are affected.
If not diagnosed and promptly treated, breast
cellulitis can lead to life-threatening complications.
Symptoms
The symptoms of breast cellulitis tend to
occur shortly after the skin is broken in any fashion. This includes breast cancer surgery and other related incisions. If you have a weakened immune system from cancer treatments, then a simple cut can lead to cellulitis.
Symptoms of breast cellulitis may include:
redness and swelling
tenderness fever chills pain when touched a wound that is oozing clear or yellow fluids rash red streaks developing from the rash
See your doctor right away if you develop any
symptoms that may indicate breast cellulitis.
Read more: What is a breast infection? »
Causes
Cellulitis is a type of skin infection that can
occur anywhere in the body. It’s a bacterial infection that affects skin tissues just underneath the skin’s surface. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus are the two most common types of bacteria that cause cellulitis. They can cause the infection by getting into exposed cuts. A decreased immune system can also increase your risk for cellulitis.
Breast cellulitis isn’t normally caused by
infected cuts like other forms of the infection. Instead, this type of infection mostly manifests itself from cancer treatments or surgeries. Lymph node removal can weaken your immune system and increase your risk for cellulitis in the upper body. This includes your breasts. This infection can also occur after breast augmentation or reduction surgeries.
Breast cellulitis vs. inflammatory breast
cancer
Breast cellulitis can sometimes be caused
by inflammatory breast cancer. However, these are two separate conditions. Cellulitis of the breasts is sometimes mistaken for inflammatory breast cancer, and vice versa.
Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare form of
breast cancer. Symptoms include: redness swelling pain
Cellulitis can cause fever or chills, which
aren’t symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer.
Any significant changes in your breasts
should be evaluated by a doctor as soon as possible, however, so that they can determine the cause.
Treatment
Breast cellulitis, as with other forms of
cellulitis, is treated with antibiotics. These are typically taken for 7–10 days to make sure that the infection doesn’t come back. Take the entire prescription as directed. Your doctor will likely want to see you after a couple of weeks to make sure the infection has fully cleared up.
Ask your doctor if you can take over-the-
counter (OTC) pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), to help ease discomfort while the antibiotics run their course.
If you don’t respond to prescription antibiotics,
your doctor may recommend intravenous antibiotics given at the hospital.
Complications
Left untreated, breast cellulitis can lead to
serious complications. A blood infection can lead to poisoning (septicemia), which is potentially fatal.
Breast cellulitis may also lead to lymphedema.
Lymphedema is a condition where your lymph nodes are unable to properly drain. You may especially be at risk if you’ve had one or more lymph nodes removed.