All About Boils, Causes and How To Treat It

Boils are skin infections that attack the hair follicles or oil glands under the skin. At first, the Boils look like a rash on the skin that hurts when touched. Over time, the redness of the skin will form a hard lump, filled with pus and again softened to the touch. A lump can sometimes be as big as a ping-pong ball.

Boils often appear on the body or back, neck, armpits, buttocks, or groin. But boils can be found anywhere in all areas of hairy skin that are prone to sweating or friction.

What causes Boils?

The main causes of Boils are Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that live on the skin, inside the nose, and throat. Skin is an important part of the human immune defense against foreign matter and disease-causing germs. Therefore, damaged skin, such as scratched or punctured, can be a gate for bacteria to enter the body and infect the surrounding skin.

Some boils can also be caused by an infection of the hair that grows inward. The infected skin disrupts the body's immune system work so that the wound site becomes festered.

Anyone can boil. However, people with certain diseases or who are taking certain drugs that weaken the immune system are more susceptible to suffering boils. Diseases that weaken the immune system include diabetes or kidney failure. If you have a weakened immune system eg because of old age or HIV, you are also susceptible.

A number of skin diseases that damage the skin's protective layers, such as acne and eczema make you more susceptible. Boils can be transmitted through direct contact between healthy skin and pus if you live and / or borrow individual goods with a boil.

How to treat boils: do not squeeze!

A "mature" ulcer can generally rupture by itself within 1-2 weeks, characterized by pus flowing out of the head of the ulcer. To speed up the healing process of boils, you can perform the following home remedies:

• Warm water compresses. Do it for 10 minutes, several times a day. Warm water compresses can reduce pain and provoke pus to rise to the surface. Boils can rupture by themselves after several times of regular compressing. After touching boils, always wash your hands with soap.
• Wash with antibacterial soap. When the Boils begin to dry, wash with antibacterial soap until all the pus is drained and wipe with alcohol. Apply antibiotic ointment and cover the wound with a bandage. Routine wash wounds boils and replace bandages two to three times a day.

Boils should not be squeezed. Squeezing Boils may increase the risk of spreading the infection. When it has spread, a boil can cause more serious complications. One example includes cellulitis, a type of serious bacterial infection of the skin. Infections can also enter the bloodstream and trigger blood poisoning (sepsis) that can potentially cause infection of the internal organs, such as the heart (endocarditis) even to the bone (osteomyelitis).

When should boils need to be seen by a doctor?

Boils rarely require medical treatment by a doctor. But visit a doctor if boils arise more than one at a time, or if one or more of the following symptoms appear:

• Appear on the face
• Fever and chills develop
• Diameter greater than 5 cm
• Does not heal in two weeks (does not break after treatment alone)
• Your lymph nodes are swollen
• Arising lines or redness in healthy skin around boils
• The pain is getting worse or very painful
• You have a heart murmur, diabetes, a problem with the immune system, or use drugs that weaken the body's immune (eg corticosteroids or chemotherapy) and show skin Boils

If the infection has spread to deeper or widespread tissue, a sample of pus may be taken to identify the type of bacteria that causes the infection more accurately. The results of the pus sample can guide the doctor about the antibiotic choices that can be used to treat your problem. Examples of drugs that have been used in the treatment of Boils include clindamycin ointment, mupirocin, and cephalexin.

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