Entries RSSAll about Skin Boils
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Boil is a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue in the skin. It starts off as reddened tender swellings and over a period of time, the area around it becomes firm and hard with oozing pus. They look like a huge pimple sticking up through the skin and are quiet painful.
This is caused by the infection of hair follicles by Staphylococcus aurous, commonly known as staph, which is a strain of bacteria than normally live on the surface of the skin. It is also observed that a small cut of the skin can also allow these bacteria to enter the follicles and cause an infection. Apart from the face, boils can also occur in neck, thighs and even in the armpits.
The four main types of boils are carbuncle (or furuncle), cystic acne, hidradenitis suppurativa and Pilonidal cysts.
Carbuncle: A carbuncle is a cluster of boils that often occurs on the back of the neck, shoulders or thighs, especially in older men. Carbuncles are deeper and more infectious as compared to the single boils. You can imagine how much a cluster of boils can be painful! Carbuncles develop and heal more slowly and are likely to leave a scar. They are sometimes accompanied by fever.
Cystic boils: The bacterial infection that penetrates the body through hair follicles causes cystic boils. The bacteria causing the infection are found to be Staphylococcus aureus. If the hair follicle is infected, the dead skin cells, blood and white blood cells get accumulated forming pus. This type of boil occurs when oils ducts become clogged and infected. It is most common on the face. Teenagers are mostly found to encounter this type of skin boils.
Hidradenitis suppurativa: Hidradenitis suppurativa are generally found to occur around hair follicles where many oil and sweat glands get deposited. That is why it is found in the armpits, anal area as well as the groin. This may also occur in the inner thighs or between the buttocks. They are found to affect single or multiple areas of the body.
Pilonidal cysts: A pilonidal cyst develops when body hair grows or is pushed into a pilonidal dimple or pit, which is a cavity located in the crease of the buttocks. When the hair grows inward, the cavity gets irritated. As a result, the cavity may also get inflamed and infected.
Causes of skin boils:
Skin boil may be caused by the bacteria that can enter the skin if a foreign object enters the ingrown hairs, clogged sweat glands or clogged oil ducts.
Prevention:
The foreign objected accumulated under your skin should be immediately removed using tweezers. If tweezers don’t work, try to squeeze the skin gently and push the object toward the surface of the skin. If you are still unable to remove the splinter, consult a doctor.
Home remedy:
Hot soaks or hot packs are the best home remedy for skin boils. To get the best result, apply the heat uniformly in the affected area to bring the antibodies and white blood cells to the surface of the skin as to help fight the infection.