Best treatments for infectious skin diseases

Understanding infectious skin diseases

"Skin Diseases, Infectious" is a category, not a single illness — it is the umbrella term for any infection of the skin itself. MedlinePlus (NLM) organizes the group by the germ responsible: "Bacteria cause cellulitis, impetigo, and staphylococcal (staph) infections," "Viruses cause shingles, warts, and herpes simplex," "Fungi cause athlete's foot and yeast infections," and "Parasites cause body lice, head lice, and scabies." Which of those four it is decides everything downstream, because an antibiotic does nothing against a fungus. Two things people commonly get wrong here. First, ringworm is not a worm. MedlinePlus states plainly that "Tinea is the name of a group of diseases caused by a fungus" and that "a worm doesn't cause it" — the ring-shaped rash is fungal, and scalp ringworm, per MedlinePlus, "usually affects children." Second, cellulitis is a clinical judgment, not a lab finding. StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf) states that cellulitis "is most often unilateral and rarely (if ever) presents bilaterally," and describes chronic venous stasis dermatitis — a long-standing, bilateral, non-infectious dermatosis of the inner ankles (medial malleoli), with scaling and hyperpigmentation — as a look-alike. So redness and swelling in both legs at once points away from cellulitis, and toward one of its mimics. This is general health information, not medical advice; talk to a clinician about your own situation.

Frequently asked

What treats infectious skin diseases?

Our catalog lists 20 products that may treat infectious skin diseases, based on NIH RxClass (MED-RT “may treat”) drug-classification data — not the verbatim FDA label. They're rated where FDA recall-safety data exists; the current top-rated option is dalvance.

What is the best-rated treatment for infectious skin diseases?

By our independent recall-safety rating — not an efficacy measure — dalvance ranks highest among the products we list for infectious skin diseases. Always consult a professional.

How are these treatments ranked?

By our independent score, currently based on FDA regulatory recall-safety data (the methodology blends additional sources as they come online). See the How we rate page.

What types of drugs treat infectious skin diseases?

Treatments for infectious skin diseases span FDA drug classes including macrolide antimicrobial, aminoglycoside antibacterial, lipoglycopeptide antibacterial. Compare every option side by side, ranked by independent rating, above.

Treatment associations are derived from NIH RxClass (MED-RT “may treat”) drug-classification data — not the verbatim FDA label. This is general reference, not medical advice — always consult a licensed professional.