Boil on Skin: Treatment, Causes, and More

Boils and cysts both look like bumps on your skin. The main difference between a cyst and a boil is that a boil is a bacterial or fungal infection, and is more likely to be painful.

A boil (furuncle) is a painful skin bump filled with pus. Typically, the cause is staph bacteria that are naturally present on your skin. These bacteria can lead to an infection or inflammation within a hair follicle or oil gland. A fungal infection may also cause some boils.

Boils can appear anywhere on your body. A boil is also called:

• an abscess (if it’s large)
• a stye (if it’s on the eyelid)

Share on PinterestA boil is a painful skin bump filled with pus.
Photography by DermNet New Zealand

Symptoms of a boil

Boils are usually small, but they can be as large as a baseball. They begin as pimples that are red in appearance.

Symptoms include:

• redness
• swelling
• pain
• development of a white or yellow center
• oozing pus or crusting
• fatigue or fever
• general feeling of malaise

Where do boils form?

Staph bacteria normally live on your skin or in your nose. When your skin is scraped or broken, the bacteria can enter via a hair follicle and cause an infection. The boil that forms is the result of your body’s immune system trying to get rid of the bacteria.

The hair follicle can be located anywhere on your body. Boils most often are found in skin areas where there’s friction, like the:

• neck
• breasts
• face
• armpits
• buttocks
• thighs

It can be easy to confuse boils with carbuncles or cysts, but there are differences.

A carbuncle is simply a few boils grouped together. A cyst, on the other hand, is a smooth, round, closed sac under your skin filled with fluid or semisolid material.

Boils and cysts can both look like bumps on your skin. The main difference between a cyst and a boil is that a boil is a bacterial or fungal infection.

Most cysts are slow-growing and benign (noncancerous), and they aren’t contagious. Boils, on the other hand, can spread bacteria or fungi on contact.

The following table gives an overview of the differences between a boil, a cyst, and a carbuncle:

Do not pick at or pop a boil.

Boils can be open sores and drain pus, so if you touch the area with contaminated hands, you risk spreading the bacteria elsewhere or introducing new bacteria into the boil.

Depending on the severity of the boil, a doctor can surgically drain the pus.

Since boils are most commonly caused by an infection by bacteria like staph, the best prevention strategy is to keep good hygiene habits.

In addition to regular hand washing, it’s important to clean and cover any cuts and scrapes. Avoid touching other people’s cuts or bandages, or sharing personal items that come in contact with the skin like razors or towels.

Cover any exercise equipment during use so you do not touch it directly. Clean and disinfect common surfaces that you touch daily, especially if there are any bodily fluids like blood, urine, or vomit.

It’s possible to contract the staph bacteria, which is the most common bacteria to cause a boil. Other bacteria or fungi may also be contagious.

It’s best to avoid touching your boil. But if you do, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly beforehand for at least 15 seconds, especially before eating and after using the toilet, exercising, coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.

Take care if someone you work with or live with currently has a boil. Wash any towels, toys, or clothing that may have come in contact with the boil. To kill any bacteria or fungi that may be present on these items, use hot water and soap. Dry the items in a dryer using the hot setting.

Most boils heal on their own within 1 to 3 weeks. But if the boil swells or begins to cause you increasing pain, contact a dermatologist for evaluation and treatment.

If another boil appears, or if you suddenly have a fever or vision problems, you should also contact a doctor.

Boil on Skin: Treatment, Causes, and More

Boils and cysts both look like bumps on your skin. The main difference between a cyst and a boil is that a boil is a bacterial or fungal infection, and is more likely to be painful.

A boil (furuncle) is a painful skin bump filled with pus. Typically, the cause is staph bacteria that are naturally present on your skin. These bacteria can lead to an infection or inflammation within a hair follicle or oil gland. A fungal infection may also cause some boils.

Boils can appear anywhere on your body. A boil is also called:

• an abscess (if it’s large)
• a stye (if it’s on the eyelid)

Share on PinterestA boil is a painful skin bump filled with pus.
Photography by DermNet New Zealand

Symptoms of a boil

Boils are usually small, but they can be as large as a baseball. They begin as pimples that are red in appearance.

Symptoms include:

• redness
• swelling
• pain
• development of a white or yellow center
• oozing pus or crusting
• fatigue or fever
• general feeling of malaise

Where do boils form?

Staph bacteria normally live on your skin or in your nose. When your skin is scraped or broken, the bacteria can enter via a hair follicle and cause an infection. The boil that forms is the result of your body’s immune system trying to get rid of the bacteria.

The hair follicle can be located anywhere on your body. Boils most often are found in skin areas where there’s friction, like the:

• neck
• breasts
• face
• armpits
• buttocks
• thighs

It can be easy to confuse boils with carbuncles or cysts, but there are differences.

A carbuncle is simply a few boils grouped together. A cyst, on the other hand, is a smooth, round, closed sac under your skin filled with fluid or semisolid material.

Boils and cysts can both look like bumps on your skin. The main difference between a cyst and a boil is that a boil is a bacterial or fungal infection.

Most cysts are slow-growing and benign (noncancerous), and they aren’t contagious. Boils, on the other hand, can spread bacteria or fungi on contact.

The following table gives an overview of the differences between a boil, a cyst, and a carbuncle:

Do not pick at or pop a boil.

Boils can be open sores and drain pus, so if you touch the area with contaminated hands, you risk spreading the bacteria elsewhere or introducing new bacteria into the boil.

Depending on the severity of the boil, a doctor can surgically drain the pus.

Since boils are most commonly caused by an infection by bacteria like staph, the best prevention strategy is to keep good hygiene habits.

In addition to regular hand washing, it’s important to clean and cover any cuts and scrapes. Avoid touching other people’s cuts or bandages, or sharing personal items that come in contact with the skin like razors or towels.

Cover any exercise equipment during use so you do not touch it directly. Clean and disinfect common surfaces that you touch daily, especially if there are any bodily fluids like blood, urine, or vomit.

It’s possible to contract the staph bacteria, which is the most common bacteria to cause a boil. Other bacteria or fungi may also be contagious.

It’s best to avoid touching your boil. But if you do, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly beforehand for at least 15 seconds, especially before eating and after using the toilet, exercising, coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.

Take care if someone you work with or live with currently has a boil. Wash any towels, toys, or clothing that may have come in contact with the boil. To kill any bacteria or fungi that may be present on these items, use hot water and soap. Dry the items in a dryer using the hot setting.

Most boils heal on their own within 1 to 3 weeks. But if the boil swells or begins to cause you increasing pain, contact a dermatologist for evaluation and treatment.

If another boil appears, or if you suddenly have a fever or vision problems, you should also contact a doctor.

Boils and furunculosis

A furuncle is a human skin abscess caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. It results in the formation of one or more bumps (holes) and may cause chills or fever in the patient. Multiple large purulent boils that appear simultaneously or almost one after another in different parts of the body are called furunculosis.

With remissions for several years, it is considered that the disease has passed into a chronic state. Furuncles do not appear on areas of the body without hairline (palms, soles of the feet, fingers). Most often they form on the forearms, lower back, buttocks and thighs, i.e. places that are more exposed to pollution and friction.

Infection. As a rule, with the appearance of boils, significant disturbances in well-being are not observed. There is only slight itching and tingling. The degree of pain depends on the localization of boils: when they appear, for example, in the external auditory canal or in the nose, it is significant. If they are located in the face (usually lips and forehead) or on the scrotum, then swelling of the surrounding tissues may appear, which is explained by the friability of the subcutaneous tissue.

Suppuration. For 1-2 days, discharge appears. They protrude conically above the surface of the skin. At the same time, redness is already visible and pain is felt when touched. In a few days, the boil reaches a size of up to 7-10 cm in diameter.

Healing. At the top of the cone, you can see a small accumulation of pus with a black dot in the center. As a rule, it breaks through and dries up, and on the 3-7th day, the remaining pus is released with the remnants of the hair. The resulting wound is cleaned and gradually heals. The swelling around it also decreases over time, and the pain disappears. After healing, a small whitish scar remains at the site of the purulent boil. However, this scenario is very rare, often in order to open the inflammation and remove pus from there, you have to consult a doctor.

Causes of boils

The main reasons for the appearance of purulent boils are non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, as well as a weak immune system. Various injuries and cuts, touching the skin with dirty hands, rubbing clothes against it, abrasions, microcracks, etc. lead to the entry of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria into the hair follicle. The site of infection turns red and becomes firm to the touch. The human immune system begins to fight the disease, resulting in pus. Over time, the inflammation increases in size, becomes more painful and, in the end, can burst and leak out. Favorable factors provoking the appearance of boils include:

• increased activity of sebaceous and sweat glands;
• beriberi;
• metabolic disorder;
• prolonged physical fatigue;
• severe hypothermia or overheating of the body;
• lack of proper rest and disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system.

First aid for boils

With the formation of at least one purulent boil, self-medication should not be carried out. In no case do not make compresses, they can contribute to the formation of multiple inflammatory foci. If a boil has formed at the site of constant contact with clothing, stick a patch on it that protects the skin from friction. It is strictly forbidden to squeeze out pus and massage the area of ​​the focus of inflammation. Remember that the pus released during the opening of the boil infects the skin, causing new inflammation. That is why it is better to entrust their removal to specialists.

Treatment of boils

Most people try to treat boils on their own at home. They apply various lotions to the inflamed area, try to pierce the abscess and squeeze the pus out. However, such manipulations can be very dangerous. As a rule, such self-treatment of a boil and its opening often leads to the spread of infection and complications. It is also necessary to understand that the disease can reappear, and professional medical help is needed to identify the cause. Contact the specialists of our Clinic of Practical Medicine medical center, and they will not only select the appropriate method for treating the boil, but also help resolve the issue of the impossibility of its further spread.

Possible complications

With untimely removal of the boil or an incorrectly performed procedure, bacteria can spread to other parts of the body, causing secondary infections, namely:

• impetigo, a highly contagious skin disease that causes sores and blisters;
• septic arthritis – disease of the joints;
• osteomyelitis – an infection that develops inside the bone;
• endocarditis – infection of the inner lining of the heart;
• sepsis – blood poisoning;
• A brain abscess is a collection of pus that forms in the brain.

Some of these secondary infections need to be treated with antibiotic injections. In the case of septicemia and brain abscess, a course of intensive antibiotic therapy is prescribed. It is because of the seriousness of the consequences of improper treatment that it is recommended to entrust the opening of boils to doctors.

Prevention of boils

The formation of boils can be prevented. To do this, follow these guidelines:

• include foods high in vitamin C in your diet;
• in case of frequent relapses of the disease, exclude pork from the diet and conduct a course of bowel cleansing;
• temper the body;
• take sun and air baths;
• give preference to clothing made from natural fabrics;
• observe the rules of personal hygiene.

If you have any questions regarding the causes and treatment of boils, please contact the doctors of the Clinic of Practical Medicine medical center. We will definitely help you cope with this unpleasant disease.

Opening of a boil, carbuncle, abscess, hematoma 🌟 in Ramenskoye, Zhukovsky

from 2100 rubles

Enroll

Looking for where to remove the boil (boil) in Ramenskoye or Zhukovsky?

In all medical centers of the New Medical Technologies network, surgeons who can help you receive appointments. Choose a doctor and make an appointment at the nearest medical center to you.

What is a boil?

Boil (boil) is an acute purulent inflammation of the hair follicle and surrounding tissues, which is caused by Staphylococcus aureus. It looks like painful, pus-filled cavities in the skin. Although boils can occur anywhere on the body, they are most common in areas where there is hair and friction, such as the neck, armpits, groin, face, chest, buttocks, etc.

What is a carbuncle?

Why do boils and carbuncles occur?

Symptoms of a boil

Symptoms of a carbuncle

What can you do?

What can a doctor do?

What is an abscess?

prices