Pictures on Skin, Causes, and Treatment

Medically Reviewed by Dany Paul Baby, MD on June 26, 2022

A boil is a common, painful infection of a hair follicle and the surrounding skin. It begins as a red lump, then fills with pus as white blood cells rush in to fight the infection. Good home care can often clear up a single boil, also known as a skin abscess. A doctor’s care is needed when a boil resists treatment or develops in certain vulnerable areas of the body.

Boils are usually pea-sized, but can grow as large as a golf ball. Symptoms can include:

• Swelling, redness, and pain
• A white or yellow center or tip
• Weeping, oozing, or crusting

You may also have a general feeling of ill health, fatigue, or a fever, which is reason to call a doctor.

Boils can form anywhere on the body, but they’re most common on the face, neck, armpits, shoulders, back, and buttocks. Hairy, sweaty areas are typical sites, as well as areas of friction, such as the inner thighs. Boils can also develop around the ear or near the nose. The pain often worsens as pus collects under the skin, then eases as fluids begin to drain.

Most boils are caused by staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), which many healthy people carry on their skin or in their noses without a problem. When a scrape, cut, or splinter breaks the skin, the bacteria can enter a hair follicle and start an infection. Others boils, such as those associated with acne, develop from clogged pores that become infected.

MRSA can look exactly like an ordinary boil: red, swollen, pus-filled, and tender. But MRSA infections are caused by one particular type of staph that is resistant to many antibiotics. If a skin infection spreads or doesn’t improve after 2-3 days of antibiotics, your doctor may suspect MRSA. The right treatment given promptly is important to heal a MRSA infection and prevent a deeper, more dangerous infection.

Not exactly, but the germs that cause boils (staph) are easily spread through skin-to-skin contact and contaminated objects. These bacteria usually do no harm unless they find a break in the skin. To avoid spreading staph, don’t share towels, bedding, clothes, or sports gear while you have a boil. Avoid touching the boil, and keep it covered. Frequent hand washing can also help prevent spreading the bacteria.

Folliculitis is an inflammation or infection of the hair follicles that can develop into a boil. Tiny pimples with whiteheads appear around individual hairs, sometimes surrounded by red skin. It can be itchy, tender, and uncomfortable, but is typically not as painful or deep as a boil. Shaving or friction from tight clothing can let staph bacteria slip under the skin — the most common cause of both folliculitis and boils.

When several boils form close together and join beneath the skin, it’s called a carbuncle. They are most commonly found on the back and the neck but can develop anywhere. Men are more likely to develop carbuncles than women. A carbuncle tends to lie deeper beneath the skin than a boil and can take longer to heal.

Cystic acne is a type of skin abscess that forms when oil and dead skin cells clog a hair follicle, creating a place where bacteria grow and thrive. It affects deeper skin tissue than regular acne, leading to firm, painful cysts. It’s most commonly on the face and shoulders and typically occurs in the teenage years.

When lumps and pus-filled abscesses repeatedly develop in these areas of the body, it may be a chronic condition called hidradenitis suppurativa. Infection starts in sweat glands and hair follicles that become blocked. Mild cases heal with home care. Several drugs and treatments are available for more serious and recurring cases.

When a boil forms in the skin just above the buttocks crease, it may be a pilonidal abscess. Hair is believed to play a role, and irritation, pressure, and prolonged sitting may also contribute to the development of a cyst here. If a cyst becomes inflamed and infected, it becomes an abscess. Some children are born with a “pilonidal dimple” where infections can crop up. Signs of infection require a doctor’s attention.

The familiar “stye on the eye” is a boil, usually caused by staph bacteria. It starts in the follicle of an eyelash and may be red, warm, swollen, and uncomfortable. A stye is sometimes confused with a chalazion, which is also a lump on the eyelid, but a chalazion is usually painless and is caused by a blocked oil gland, not an infection.

Anyone can develop a boil. The risk increases with:

• Close contact with an infected person
• Acne, eczema, or other causes of breaks in the skin
• Diabetes
• A weakened immune system

You can take care of most boils at home. Apply warm, moist compresses several times a day to help a boil open and drain. After it starts draining, keep it clean, and continue using warm compresses — a clean one every time. Change the bandage often and wash hands well. Resist the urge to squeeze or pop the boil. This can make the infection worse.

If a boil doesn’t heal after a week of home care, call your doctor. Other reasons to call include:

• A boil on the face or spine
• A fever or red streaks coming from the sore
• A very large or painful boil
• A boil that keeps coming back

If the fluid inside a boil doesn’t drain by itself, your doctor may prick the top of the sore with a sterile instrument to be sure it drains completely. A deep infection may be packed with sterile gauze so it continues to drain. Antibiotics and steroid shots are sometimes given to help with healing.

For some people, boils are a recurring problem. In addition to standard treatment, your doctor may try to eliminate or reduce staph bacteria throughout the body. This can include any or all of the following treatments: washing up with a special antiseptic soap, using an antibiotic ointment inside the nose, or, if necessary, 1-2 months of antibiotics taken by mouth.

Most boils heal with home treatment or a doctor’s visit. Sores on the face may require antibiotics because they’re so close to the eyes and brain. Rarely, the staph bacteria from a boil or carbuncle can get into the bloodstream, which can then affect the heart and other internal organs.

Since bacteria are everywhere in our environments and on many people’s skin, the best defense against boils includes:

• Hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Careful cleaning of cuts, scrapes, and other wounds
• Keeping wounds covered
• Not sharing towels, sheets, razors, etc.

Wash towels, sheets, and anything else in contact with an infected area in very hot water. Throw away any wound dressings in a tightly sealed bag.

IMAGES PROVIDED BY:

1)     Peggy Firth and Susan Gilbert for WebMD
2)     Dr. P. Marazzi / Photo Researchers, Inc, Watney Collection / Phototake, ISM / Phototake
3)     Watney Collection / Phototake, ISM / Phototake, Biophoto Associates / Photo Researchers, Inc, Interactive Medical Media LLC
4)     David Mack / Photo Researchers, Inc
5)     Interactive Medical Media LLC
6)     Stockbyte
7)     Interactive Medical Media LLC
8)     Peggy Firth and Susan Gilbert for WebMD
9)     Anna Webb/WebMD
10)   Interactive Medical Media LLC
11)   Peggy Firth and Susan Gilbert for WebMD
12)   Phototake
13)   Medioimages/Photodisc
14)   Fuse
15)   Dr. Harout Tanielian / Photo Researchers, Inc.
16)   Siri Stafford/Photodisc
17)   Stockbyte, iStock
18)   Medioimages/Photodisc
19)   Sean Justice/Digital Vision

REFERENCES:

Nemours Foundation: “Staph Infections.”

Skinsight.com: “MRSA.”

University of Chicago Medical Center: “MRSA FAQ.”

Merck Manual of Medical Information, 2nd Home Edition: “Folliculitis and Skin Abscesses.”

NIH Genetics Home Reference: “Hidradenitis Suppurativa.”

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation: “What is Hidradenitis Suppurativa?”

American Academy of Ophthalmology: “What Are Chalazia and Styes?”

© 2022 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. View privacy policy and trust info

Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Surgery

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

• What Causes a Pilonidal Cyst?
• Symptoms
• When Should I Call a Doctor?
• Diagnosis
• What Can I Do to Feel Better?
• Treatments
• After Surgery
• More

There’s a type of cyst you can get at the bottom of your tailbone, or coccyx. It’s called a pilonidal cyst, and it can become infected and filled with pus. Once infected, the technical term is “pilonidal abscess,” and it can be painful.

It looks like a large pimple at the bottom of your tailbone. It is more common in men than in women. It usually happens more often in younger people.

People who sit a lot, such as truck drivers, have a higher chance of getting one.

They can be treated. If your cyst becomes a problem, your doctor can drain it or take it out through surgery.

Most doctors think that ingrown hairs are the reason for many of them. Pilonidal means “nest of hair,” and doctors sometimes find hair follicles inside the cyst.

Another theory is that pilonidal cysts appear after a trauma to that region of your body.

During World War II, more than 80,000 soldiers got pilonidal cysts that put them in the hospital. People thought they were because of irritation from riding in bumpy Jeeps. For a while, the condition was called “Jeep disease. “

You might be more likely to get one if you were born with a small dimple in the skin between your buttocks. This dimple can tend to get infected, though doctors aren’t exactly sure why.

Other risk factors include obesity, large amounts of hair, not enough exercise, prolonged sitting, and excessive sweating.

The symptoms of a pilonidal cyst include:

• Pain, redness, and swelling at the bottom of the spine
• Pus or blood draining out of it
• Bad smell from the pus
• Tenderness to the touch
• Fever

They can vary in size. Yours may be a small dimple or cover a large, painful area.

A pilonidal cyst is an abscess or boil. Treatment may include antibiotics, hot compresses and topical treatment with depilatory creams. In more severe cases it needs to be drained, or lanced, to heal. Like other boils, it does not get better with antibiotics.

If you have any of the symptoms, call your doctor.

Your doctor can diagnose a pilonidal cyst with a physical exam and by asking you questions about it. Among the things they may ask you:

• When did you first feel symptoms?
• Have you had this problem before?
• Have you had a fever?
• What medications or supplements do you take?

Early in the infection of a pilonidal cyst, the redness, swelling, and pain may not be too bad. Some things you might want to try:

• To ease any pain, soak in a tub of warm water. Sometimes, your cyst may open and drain on its own this way.
• Take nonprescription pain medicine, but follow the dosing instructions.
• Keep the cyst and area around it clean and dry.

Antibiotics do not heal a pilonidal cyst. But doctors have any number of procedures they can try. Here are some options:

Incision and drainage: This is the preferred method for a first pilonidal cyst. Your doctor makes a cut into the cyst and drains it. They remove any hair follicles and leaves the wound open, packing the space with gauze.

Advantage — It’s a simple procedure done under local anesthesia, meaning just the area around the cyst is numbed.

Disadvantage — You have to change the gauze often until the cyst heals, which sometimes takes up to 3 weeks.

Marsupialization: In this procedure, your doctor makes a cut and drains the cyst, removing pus and any hair that are inside. They’ll sew the edges of the cut to the wound edges to make a pouch.

Advantages — This is outpatient surgery under local anesthesia. It also lets the doctor make a smaller, shallower cut so that you don’t need to take out and repack gauze daily.

Disadvantages — It takes about 6 weeks to heal, and you need a doctor specially trained in the technique.

Incision, drainage, closing of wound: In this technique, the cyst is drained, but it’s not left open.

Advantage — You don’t need to pack gauze because your doctor fully closes the wound right after surgery.

Disadvantages — You’re more likely to have more problems with the cyst down the road. It’s harder to remove the entire cyst with this method. It’s usually done in an operating room with a specially trained surgeon.’

Other surgical procedures include complete cyst and cyst wall excision along with the pilonidal sinus tracts, the use of fibrin glue, and taking (core out) only diseased tissue and the cyst out with punch biopsies.

Follow all of your doctor’s instructions about at-home care, especially if you need to remove and pack gauze. Other tips:

• Try to keep the area clean.
• Check for any signs of a new infection, such as redness, pus, or pain.
• Keep your follow-up appointments with your doctor so they can see how your cyst is healing.

A complete cure is possible, but remember that a pilonidal cyst may recur even if you had one surgically removed.

Top Picks

Misuse of water was called a “time bomb”

https://ria. ru/20201212/voda-1588920498.html

Misuse of water was called a “time bomb”

Misuse of water was called a “time bomb” – RIA Novosti, 03.03.2021

Misuse of water was called a “time bomb”

WeChat user told how not to harm the body when drinking water. RIA Novosti, 03.03.2021

2020-12-12T15:50

2020-12-12T15:50

2021-03-03T18:14

water

health

900 02 wechat

/html/head/meta[@name=’og :title’]/@content

/html/head/meta[@name=’og:description’]/@content

https://cdnn21.img.ria.ru/images/100398/13/1003981317_0: 186:2001:1311_1920x0_80_0_0_b7d48eb67515ddb47d5fcd19ab97aa39.jpg

MOSCOW, December 12 – RIA Novosti. A WeChat user told how not to harm the body when drinking water. The author of the post noted that drinking a glass of water in the morning after waking up is useful because it will allow you to replenish the water balance in the body after a night’s sleep. In addition, it will reduce blood viscosity and stimulate blood circulation. The user clarified that many people drink water incorrectly, which causes great harm to their health. He talked about common mistakes while drinking water, which can become a “time bomb” for the body. The author of the post also dispelled the myth that you must first brush your teeth before drinking water. Claims that bacteria from the oral cavity will enter the body with water are exaggerated, since bacteria are mainly concentrated on tartar or plaque. It can only be removed by brushing and rubbing. Water does not have such a frictional force to clean off plaque. Moreover, the acid in the intestines can kill pathogenic bacteria.

https://ria.ru/20201025/yaytsa-1581408015.html

https://ria.ru/20201205/kartofel-1587785603.html

RIA Novosti

1

5

4.7

96

[email protected]

7 495 645-6601

Rossiya Segodnya

https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/awards/

2 020

RIA Novosti

1

5

4. 7

96

[email protected]

7 495 645-6601

Rossiya Segodnya

https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/awards/

News

9 0002 en-RU

https://ria.ru/docs/about/copyright.html

https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/

RIA Novosti

1

5

4.7 90 003

96

[email protected]

7 495 645-6601

Rossiya Segodnya 9true

true

https://cdnn21.img.ria.ru/ images/100398/13/1003981317_85:0:1856:1328_1920x0_80_0_0_1ee91d3703f257254577035f03aaf1cd.jpg

1920

1920 900 03

true

RIA Novosti

1

5

4.7

96

[email protected]

7 495 645-6601

FSUE MIA Rossiya Segodnya

https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og.xn--p1ai/awards/

RIA Novosti

1

5

4.7

96

internet- [email protected]

7 495 645-6601

Rossiya Segodnya

https://xn--c1acbl2abdlkab1og. xn--p1ai/awards/

water, health, wechat

900 02 Water, Health , WeChat

MOSCOW, December 12 – RIA Novosti. WeChat user told how not to harm the body when drinking water.

The author of the post noted that drinking a glass of water in the morning after waking up is useful, because it will allow you to replenish the water balance in the body after a night’s sleep. In addition, it will reduce blood viscosity and stimulate blood circulation.

The user clarified that many people use water incorrectly, which causes great harm to their health. He talked about common mistakes while drinking water, which can be a “time bomb” for the body.

The difference between white and dark shelled eggs explained

October 25, 2020, 02:33

1. In a person with cardiovascular disease, this can lead to a heart attack. In addition, drinking plenty of water on an empty stomach thins out stomach acid. When eating, this affects the process of digestion and over time can cause stomach diseases. It is recommended to drink no more than 150 milliliters of water at a time (about half a glass), and also to do it slowly, in small sips.

2. 2.

   Do not replace the first glass of water with milk, coffee, juices and mineral water. This will not replenish the fluid balance, but will start the digestive process, which will negatively affect the health of the gastrointestinal tract. Some of these drinks are diuretic and will cause more fluid loss in the body.

3. 3.

   Do not drink salted water as it will increase blood pressure. In addition, it will increase the daily amount of salt intake, which will put a strain on the kidneys.

4. 4.

   You can drink water with honey for people who suffer from constipation. Honey should be placed in cold or warm water, but not in boiling water.

5. 5.

   Boiled water is the best choice for most people because it is sugar and salt free and won’t stress the kidneys or the cardiovascular system.

6. 6.

   It is not recommended to drink too cold or too hot water. A cold drink stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, quickly reduces the blood vessels of the gastric mucosa. This can lead to discomfort and diarrhea. Hot water injures the delicate lining of the esophagus and can lead to cancer. The use of liquid, the temperature of which exceeds 65 degrees, causes a burn. If this happens regularly, the normal structure of the cells is destroyed, after which malignant formations occur. In order not to irritate the gastric mucosa, the water temperature should be no more than 50 degrees.

A serious danger of potatoes named

December 5, 2020, 10:20

The author of the post also dispelled the myth that you must first brush your teeth before drinking water. Claims that bacteria from the oral cavity will enter the body with water are exaggerated, since bacteria are mainly concentrated on tartar or plaque. It can only be removed by brushing and rubbing. Water does not have such a frictional force to clean off plaque. Moreover, the acid in the intestines can kill pathogenic bacteria.

Read the full version of the material on the website
Raspberry is a deciduous subshrub of the Rosaceae family. Plant height – up to 2.5 m. The roots are winding, woody. Stems erect. Initially shoots are green and grassy. After a year of life, they begin to stiffen and turn brown. The leaves are oval, green above and whitish below. The flowers are white, up to 1 cm in diameter. The fruits are red drupes.

Raspberry composition

Berries contain about 11% of sugars represented by glucose, fructose and sucrose. They contain essential oils, pectins, mucus, proteins, carotene, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, coumarins, ketones, mineral salts, vitamins A, C, group B, PP.

Attention! The leaves contain a lot of manganese. And in the seeds – fatty oil (up to 22%) and phytosterol (up to 0.8%). They also have everything the same as in berries.

Medicinal properties

The fruits have diaphoretic, tonic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antiscorbutic, astringent properties. Leaves and young shoots have an antispasmodic, hemostatic effect.

Effects on the body

The main value of raspberry is that it is a powerful natural antioxidant. Antioxidant activity in it is shown by flavonoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, carotenoids and phenols. These compounds deactivate free radicals – oxygen molecules with one unpaired electron. These molecules seek to restore balance and therefore take electrons from cells, amino acids and many other molecules that they meet along the way. As a result, the latter are destroyed, which leads to rapid wear of the body, early aging and an increased risk of tumor formation. Antioxidants interrupt this process.

Attention! Vitamin C prevents the development of scurvy and is necessary for the full functioning of bone and connective tissues. One serving of berries contains about 30% of its required daily intake.

Phenolic substances improve elasticity and regulate capillary permeability, helping to remove harmful compounds from them. Manganese, which is abundant in raspberry leaves, is essential for protein synthesis. Magnesium supports the normal functioning of the heart muscle. And vitamin K – normalizes blood clotting.

Cosmetic properties

In cosmetology, raspberry extracts are most often used. They help eliminate acne, acne, age spots, normalize oily skin, and also stimulate hair growth. In addition, they:

• protect against cell membrane destruction;
• slow down aging;
• moisturize the epidermis;
• cleanse pores;
• nourish the skin;

The extract is used for therapeutic baths, included in the composition of masks for oily skin, lotions, creams, shampoos, hair balms and other cosmetics.

Contraindications and side effects

It is worth minimizing the use of raspberries in the presence of problems with the kidneys and gallbladder. And all because it contains calcium oxalates, which can provoke an exacerbation of these diseases.

It is worth refraining from the product during the period of exacerbation of stomach ulcers, gastritis or diseases of the duodenum 12. Due to the content of purines, the product is contraindicated in nephritis and gout.

Applications and standards

Fruit syrup is used in pharmacology to improve the taste of drugs. For the prevention and treatment of diseases, dry plant materials can be used. It is produced in briquettes, filter bags and in bulk. Raspberries in filter bags are brewed in boiling water: 1 pc. to a glass of water. In loose form, it is used to prepare decoctions: 2 tbsp. l. raw materials pour 500 ml of boiling water, insist 2 hours, filter and take half a glass 4 times a day before meals.

Attention! The extract is added to cosmetics. The recommended dosage of its introduction into cosmetics is up to 5%.