Boils
aka Furuncles or Carbuncles
A Boil is a painful infection under the skin. These pus-filled nodules are common and can be seen anywhere on the body but are most often seen on the face, neck, armpits, buttocks and thighs.
Boils Symptoms
Symptoms of boils include tender or painful red nodules filled with pus. They can grow to larger than an inch and may feel like a water-filled balloon. The pain increases as the boil fills with dead tissue and pus and improves when drained.
Boils Causes
Boils result from a bacterial infection deep under the skin. This infection is usually caused by the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and typically involves a hair follicle.
The skin infections are quite common, particularly on the face, neck, armpits, buttocks and thighs. There can be a single sore area or a cluster of boils together.
Boils Diagnosis
A diagnosis is typically based on the observation of the aforementioned symptoms
Boils Treatment
A boil will often heal on its own but can become quite painful before it burst and drains.
A boil should not be lanced at home or squeezed to avoid spreading of bacteria. A physician should be contacted if a boil remains on the skin for longer than 2 weeks or is located in a particularly painful area. A physician may lance the boil or use antibiotics.
Home care includes using warm, moist towels over the boil to encourage it to drain. You can use these warm, moist towels to soak the inflamed area several times a day.
If a lesion is draining it should be cleaned often to prevent the spread of infection and prevent additional boils from forming. You should also take care to wash your hands after cleaning a draining boil and towels that come in contact with the boil should be washed in hot water.
Call your medical doctor if you develop a fever or if red streaks extend out from the sore as this may indicate that the infection is spreading.