Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy They FormRecurring BoilsSymptomsAt-Home TreatmentSeeing a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why They Form
Recurring Boils
Symptoms
At-Home Treatment
Seeing a Provider
A boil on your buttocks can make everyday activities like sitting, walking, or even lying down painful. Bacteria, includingstaphylococcus aureus, often referred to as staph, are likely to blame.
Here’s everything you should know about how to treat a boil quickly and keep it from coming back.
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Boils on Buttocks: Why They Form
Boilsare painful, pus-filled lesions on your skin.They develop when a hair follicle becomes infected and that infection travels deeper into your skin. Medically, boils are known as furuncles. A group of them together is called a carbuncle.
What About Recurring Boils on or in Buttocks?
Unfortunately, once you have a boil, you’re more likely to have another. About 10% of people with a boil will develop another one within a year.Boils can recur because the bacteria that caused the infection, usually staph or strep, is still on your skin and can cause a new infection if it reaches your hair follicles.
A less common explanation for recurring boils is a condition calledhidradenitis suppurativa, or acne inversa. It causes recurrent boils, including around the anus and boils on the buttocks. This condition usually emerges in a person’s teens or early 20s.
Symptoms of Boils on the Buttocks
The symptoms of a boil on your butt cheek are:
Sometimes people with boils will also experience fever, fatigue, or generally not feeling well.
How to Treat Boils on Buttocks at Home
Do notpop a boil. The boil may pop on its own, which is fine, but trying to pop it can lead to a more severe infection.
Instead,try these home remedies for boils:
At-home practices that can help prevent the spread of bacteria leading to boils include:
Treatment for Recurring Boils
If you have recurring boils, consider seeing a healthcare provider. However, at-home treatments like bleach baths can sometimes treat and prevent boils from recurring. To do this, add one-half cup of bleach to a full bathtub. Soak in it for 10 minutes twice a week to kill harmful bacteria on the skin.This practice has been used for many years as a way to help with skin infections and is safe for children.
Symptoms That Warrant a Provider Visit
You might feel embarrassed to call a healthcare provider about a boil on your buttocks. But sometimes boils require medical treatment. Reach out to a healthcare provider if:
People with underlying health conditions, including diabetes, and people with a compromised immune system should reach out to their healthcare provider if they develop a boil.
Summary
Having a boil on your buttocks is painful. Boils usually resolve on their own, but sometimes they need professional treatment. Using hot compresses, covering the boil, and controlling discomfort with over-the-counter pain relievers can help.
If your boil doesn’t go away within two weeks, or if you develop severe discomfort or a fever, make an appointment with your healthcare provider. Remember, there’s no need to be embarrassed, since a boil on the butt cheek is probably something they’ve seen many times before.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Folliculitis, boils and carbuncles.Seattle Children’s.Boil.Shallcross LJ, Hayward AC, Johnson AM, Petersen I.Incidence and recurrence of boils and abscesses within the first year: A cohort study in UK primary care.Br J Gen Pract. 2015;65(639):e668-e676. doi:10.3399/bjgp15X686929MedlinePlus.Hidradenitis suppurativa.NHS.Boils.The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.Skin infections - bleach baths.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Folliculitis, boils and carbuncles.Seattle Children’s.Boil.Shallcross LJ, Hayward AC, Johnson AM, Petersen I.Incidence and recurrence of boils and abscesses within the first year: A cohort study in UK primary care.Br J Gen Pract. 2015;65(639):e668-e676. doi:10.3399/bjgp15X686929MedlinePlus.Hidradenitis suppurativa.NHS.Boils.The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.Skin infections - bleach baths.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Folliculitis, boils and carbuncles.Seattle Children’s.Boil.Shallcross LJ, Hayward AC, Johnson AM, Petersen I.Incidence and recurrence of boils and abscesses within the first year: A cohort study in UK primary care.Br J Gen Pract. 2015;65(639):e668-e676. doi:10.3399/bjgp15X686929MedlinePlus.Hidradenitis suppurativa.NHS.Boils.The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.Skin infections - bleach baths.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Folliculitis, boils and carbuncles.
Seattle Children’s.Boil.
Shallcross LJ, Hayward AC, Johnson AM, Petersen I.Incidence and recurrence of boils and abscesses within the first year: A cohort study in UK primary care.Br J Gen Pract. 2015;65(639):e668-e676. doi:10.3399/bjgp15X686929
MedlinePlus.Hidradenitis suppurativa.
NHS.Boils.
The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.Skin infections - bleach baths.
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