Boils

A boil is an infection that affects groups of hair follicles and nearby skin tissue.

Related conditions include:

• Carbunculosis

  Carbunculosis

  A carbuncle is a skin infection that often involves a group of hair follicles. The infected material forms a lump, which occurs deep in the skin and...

  

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• Folliculitis

  Folliculitis

  Folliculitis is inflammation of one or more hair follicles. It can occur anywhere on the skin.

  

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Causes

Boils are very common. They are most often caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus . They can also be caused by other types of bacteria or fungi found on the skin's surface. Damage to the hair follicle allows the infection to grow deeper into the follicle and the tissues under it.

Boils may occur in the hair follicles anywhere on the body. They are most common on the face, neck, armpit, buttocks, and thighs. You may have one or many boils. The condition may occur only once or it can be a long-lasting (chronic) problem.

Symptoms

A boil may begin as tender, pinkish-red, and swollen, on a firm area of the skin. Over time, it will feel like a water-filled balloon or cyst .

Pain gets worse as it fills with pus and dead tissue. Pain lessens when the boil drains. A boil may drain on its own. More often, the boil needs to be opened to drain.

The main symptoms of a boil include:

• A bump about the size of a pea, but may be as large as a golf ball
• White or yellow center ( pustules )

  Pustules

  Pustules are small, inflamed, pus-filled, blister-like sores (lesions) on the skin surface.

  

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• Spread to other skin areas or joining with other boils
• Quick growth
• Weeping, oozing, or crusting

Other symptoms may include:

• Fatigue

  Fatigue

  Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.

   

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• Fever
• General ill-feeling
• Itching before the boil develops
• Skin redness around the boil

Exams and Tests

The health care provider can usually diagnose a boil based on how it looks. A sample of cells from the boil may be sent to the lab for a culture to look for staphylococcus or other bacteria.

Culture

A skin or nail culture is a laboratory test to look for and identify germs that cause problems with the skin or nails. It is called a mucosal culture...

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Treatment

Boils may heal on their own after a period of itching and mild pain. More often, they become more painful as pus builds up.

Boils usually need to open and drain in order to heal. This most often happens within 2 weeks. You should:

• Put warm, moist, compresses on the boil several times a day to speed draining and healing.
• Never squeeze a boil or try to cut it open at home. This can spread the infection.
• Continue to put warm, wet, compresses on the area after the boil opens.

You may need to have surgery to drain deep or large boils. Get treatment from your provider if:

• A boil lasts longer than 2 weeks.
• A boil comes back.
• You have a boil on your spine or the middle of your face.
• You have a fever or other symptoms with the boil.
• The boil causes pain or discomfort.

It is important to keep a boil clean. To do this:

• Clean boils and change their dressing often.
• Wash your hands well after touching a boil.
• DO NOT re-use or share washcloths or towels. Wash clothing, washcloths, towels, and sheets or other items that have touched infected areas in hot water.
• Throw out used dressings in a sealed bag so that fluid from the boil does not touch anything else.

Your provider may give you antibiotics to take by mouth, or a shot, if the boil is very bad or comes back.

Antibacterial soaps and creams cannot help much once a boil has formed.

Outlook (Prognosis)

Some people have repeated boil infections and are unable to prevent them.

Boils in areas like the ear canal or nose can be very painful.

Boils that form close together may expand and join, causing a condition called carbunculosis.

Possible Complications

These complications may occur:

• Abscess of the skin, spinal cord, brain, kidneys, or other organ
• Brain infection
• Heart infection

  Heart infection

  Endocarditis is inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and heart valves (endocardium). It is caused by a bacterial or, rarely a fun...

  

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• Bone infection

  Bone infection

  Osteomyelitis is a bone infection. It is mainly caused by bacteria or other germs.

  

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• Infection of the blood or tissues ( sepsis )

  Sepsis

  Sepsis is an illness in which the body has a severe, inflammatory response to bacteria or other germs.

  

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• Spinal cord infection
• Spread of infection to other parts of the body or skin surfaces
• Permanent scarring

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call your provider if boils:

• Appear on your face or spine
• Come back
• Do not heal with home treatment within 1 week
• Occur along with a fever, red streaks coming out from the sore, a large build-up of fluid in the area, or other symptoms of infection
• Cause pain or discomfort

Prevention

The following may help prevent the spread of infection:

• Antibacterial soaps
• Antiseptic (germ-killing) washes
• Keeping clean (such as thorough hand washing)