Education, not medical advice
The content on this site is general patient education. It is not a diagnosis, not a treatment recommendation, and not a substitute for a consultation with a clinician who has examined you. Do not use it to decide that a wound can wait, and do not use it to decide that a wound needs emergency care on the strength of a website alone — when in doubt, make the call.
A spreading infection is time-critical
Redness that is advancing outward, a red line tracking up a limb, fever with chills or shivering, and skin around a wound that has turned dusky, blistered or black all require immediate care. An infection that is spreading is not confined to the wound, and waiting for a review appointment is not an appropriate response to any of those findings.
Antibiotics are chosen, not guessed
An antibiotic has to match the organism causing the infection. Taking one that was prescribed for something else, or that is left over from a previous course, treats the wrong cause or treats it inadequately and makes the next assessment harder. Nothing on this site should be read as advice about which treatment to take.
No outcome is guaranteed
No treatment can be guaranteed. How a wound heals, how an infection responds and what can be preserved vary between patients, and nothing on this site should be read as a promise about the appearance of the area afterwards.