Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It Looks LikeAt-Home RemovalWhen to Contact a Healthcare ProviderComplicationsCausesPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Looks Like
At-Home Removal
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
Complications
Causes
Prevention
The most common cause of furuncles is theStaphylococcus aureus(staph) bacteria, but other types of bacteria or fungi on the surface of the skin can also cause them. The infection grows into a hair follicle and the tissues under it.
Furuncles can go away on their own, but getting medical treatment is often a good idea to help relieve pain, prevent complications, and promote quicker healing.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoReproduced with permission from © DermNet dermnetnz.org 2023.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Reproduced with permission from © DermNet dermnetnz.org 2023.
What a Furuncle Looks Like
A boil can start as a swollen, tender, inflamed, pinkish-red area of the skin and then become a painful bump. The bump can feel like acystor water-filled balloon, filling with pus and dead tissue.
The boil is centered on a hair follicle.
Symptoms of a boil may include:
Symptoms that may accompany a boil include:
How to Get Rid of a Boil at Home Safely
When the boil first appears and the pus-filled space hasn’t fully developed, applying a warm, moist compress can help bring the pus to the surface. This technique can help speed up the development of the abscess so that it can drain and heal.
Someways to help a boil healinclude:
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider for Boils
Boils sometimes need treatment from a healthcare provider, including procedures to drain them or medications.
See a healthcare provider urgently if you have a boil and:
Systemic antibiotics may be recommended in situations such as:
Possible Complications From Furuncles
Carbuncles
Spreading Infection
Infection can spread to other body areas, particularly if you squeeze or scratch it open. The bacteria can spread along the blood or lymph vessels. Red streaks leading away from the boil indicatelymphangitis(infection moving along a lymph vessel).Lymphadenitis(inflammation and pain in the lymph nodes in the affected area) can also occur.
A boil on the face (especially around the nose or upper lip area) carries a risk of bacteria entering the brain, which could lead tomeningitisorcerebral venous sinus thrombosis(life-threatening blood clots in the large blood vessels).
Cellulitis(infection of the surrounding tissues) can also cause fever and illness.
Sepsis
Sepsis (the body’s extreme response to an infection) occurs when an infection triggers a life-threatening chain reaction throughout the body. Sepsis is a medical emergency.
Symptoms of sepsismay include:
MRSA
Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA)is a type of staph bacteria that can be resistant to certain antibiotics.An MRSA infection can cause boils.
Antibiotics taken for boils due to MRSA infection need to be a type that is effective against MRSA bacteria.
What Causes a Furuncle?
About 10% to 20% of people arestaphylococcalcarriers (they carry the bacteriaStaphylococcus aureuson the surface of their skin), even if they are otherwise healthy and have good hygiene. This bacteria is commonly carried in the nostrils, between the legs, in the armpits, and in the cleft between thebuttocks. It can move from the nostrils to other areas via fingernails.
Bacteria can enter the wall of a hair follicle andcause an infectionin the follicle and surrounding tissue. The infection causes skin tissue inside the boil to die, creating anabscess(a pus-filled hollow space).
Factors that may increase the risk of developing a boil include:
Can You Prevent Boils?
Measures that may help prevent boils include:
If you have recurrent boils, your healthcare provider may suggest measures such as:
Summary
Boils can heal independently or with home treatments such as warm, moist compresses, but seeing a healthcare provider can help them heal faster and reduce the pain. In some cases, medical treatment is necessary.
12 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.University of Florida Health.Boils.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Overview: boils and carbuncles. 2022.DermNet.Boil.Better Health.Boils.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Boils and carbuncles: learn more – how are boils treated?2022.Cedars-Sinai.Folliculitis, boils, and carbuncles.MedlinePlus.Boils.National Health Service.Boils.Merck Manual.Furuncles and carbuncles.Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.About sepsis.Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) basics.Cedars-Sinai.Folliculitis, furuncles, and carbuncles in children.
12 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.University of Florida Health.Boils.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Overview: boils and carbuncles. 2022.DermNet.Boil.Better Health.Boils.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Boils and carbuncles: learn more – how are boils treated?2022.Cedars-Sinai.Folliculitis, boils, and carbuncles.MedlinePlus.Boils.National Health Service.Boils.Merck Manual.Furuncles and carbuncles.Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.About sepsis.Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) basics.Cedars-Sinai.Folliculitis, furuncles, and carbuncles in children.
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.
University of Florida Health.Boils.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Overview: boils and carbuncles. 2022.DermNet.Boil.Better Health.Boils.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Boils and carbuncles: learn more – how are boils treated?2022.Cedars-Sinai.Folliculitis, boils, and carbuncles.MedlinePlus.Boils.National Health Service.Boils.Merck Manual.Furuncles and carbuncles.Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.About sepsis.Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) basics.Cedars-Sinai.Folliculitis, furuncles, and carbuncles in children.
University of Florida Health.Boils.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Overview: boils and carbuncles. 2022.
DermNet.Boil.
Better Health.Boils.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.Boils and carbuncles: learn more – how are boils treated?2022.
Cedars-Sinai.Folliculitis, boils, and carbuncles.
MedlinePlus.Boils.
National Health Service.Boils.
Merck Manual.Furuncles and carbuncles.
Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.About sepsis.
Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) basics.
Cedars-Sinai.Folliculitis, furuncles, and carbuncles in children.
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