When should I go to the ER for skin infections?
Go to the ER for a skin infection if the redness is spreading quickly, you have a fever, red streaking, a large or facial abscess, or if you have diabetes or a weakened immune system. Small, stable infections with no fever are often fine for urgent care or telemedicine.
The Decision: ER, Urgent Care, or Home
The key questions are how fast the infection is changing, whether you have a fever, and whether you have a condition that raises your risk. A small infection that is holding steady can usually wait for a lower level of care. One that is growing hour by hour, or making you feel sick all over, should not wait.
Go to the ER When
- The redness is spreading quickly — mark the edge with a pen and watch it grow.
- You have a fever or chills, or see red streaks moving from the wound.
- The skin is hot, tightly swollen, and severely painful, or the pain is out of proportion to the appearance.
- You have a large or very painful abscess, or any abscess on the face or near the eyes.
- You have diabetes, a weakened immune system, or take immune-suppressing medicines — infections can escalate fast in these situations.
- A mild infection is not improving after a day or two of home care, or has started to grow, drain pus, or hurt more.
Call 911 — do not drive yourself — if pain is rapidly worsening, the skin is turning purple or gray or blistering, you feel a crackling under the skin, or you are confused, dizzy, or have a racing heart (possible sepsis).
When Urgent Care, Telemedicine, or Your PCP Is Reasonable
If the area is small and stable, you have no fever, and the redness is not spreading, a telemedicine or online urgent care visit is often enough. A clinician can look at it, advise on wound care, and prescribe oral antibiotics if needed. A minor infected scratch or a small boil in an otherwise healthy person can also be handled by your primary care doctor. Choose in-person care over telemedicine if there is a pocket of pus that may need draining.
What Happens at Bellaire ER
A board-certified physician examines the skin, checks your vital signs, and often marks the redness to track spread. We have on-site labs, X-ray, ultrasound, and CT to find hidden pus, check for deeper infection, and see whether it is affecting your whole body. If there is an abscess, we can numb and drain it on-site, start oral or IV antibiotics, clean and dress the wound, give a tetanus shot if due, and treat you in a single visit.
For a complete guide, see our skin infections page. Walk in any time at 5302 Bellaire Blvd or call (713) 660-0001 — we are open 24/7.