Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRisksTools UsedHow They’re Popped
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Risks
Tools Used
How They’re Popped
This article explains how to safely treat a boil at home. It also reviews the tools and steps a healthcare professional may use to get a boil to pop.
Verywell / Laura Porter
Dangers of Attempting to Pop a Boil With No Head at Home
You may feel tempted to pop or lance a boil at home, especially if it is small and isn’t super painful. However, you should avoid doing this.
Boils contain bacteria that have infected one or morehair follicles. Trying to pop a boil at home can spread the infection into deeper layers of skin as well as other tissues and organs.
In some cases, the spreading infection can trigger serious complications likesepsis, a life-threatening condition in which the immune system has a systemic (entire body) reaction to infection.
Reach out to your doctor right away, or head to urgent care if:The boil doesn’t open on its own.The boil is getting bigger.You have a fever or othersigns of infection.You are experiencing uncomfortable symptoms that are getting worse.
Reach out to your doctor right away, or head to urgent care if:
What is Pus? Causes and Treatment
What Is Needed to Pop a Boil With No Head
Boils may be drained during an in-office procedure, but some may require surgery. In general, a boil is drained using sterile, or germ-free, tools, which may include:
What Comes Out of a Boil When It Pops?The fluid that comes out of a boil is pus, also known aspurulent exudate.Pus may be white and yellow, but can also look brownish or green.Pusis a sign that the body is fighting an infection. It’s made up of white blood cells, the bacteria those cells are fighting, and broken-down tissue from the infected area.
What Comes Out of a Boil When It Pops?
The fluid that comes out of a boil is pus, also known aspurulent exudate.Pus may be white and yellow, but can also look brownish or green.Pusis a sign that the body is fighting an infection. It’s made up of white blood cells, the bacteria those cells are fighting, and broken-down tissue from the infected area.
How Does a Heath Care Provider Pop a Boil With No Head?
During an in-office procedure, every effort is made to ensure a germ-free environment. The procedure takes around five to 10 minutes in total. The procedure may differ depending on your type of abscess, but in general:
Superficial (shallow) boils that affect fleshy parts of the skin may be drained during an in-office procedure. However, some of these may require surgical care if they are large, located on the face or head, or are especially deep.
1:38Click Play to Learn How to Drain an Abscess Safely and Properly
1:38
Click Play to Learn How to Drain an Abscess Safely and Properly
Summary
To drain an abscess, a doctor will lance, or cut, the skin to remove the pus. Then the doctor will flush out the wound and bandage it.
If you plan on caring for your own boil at home, try not to pop it. This can force bacteria even deeper. Instead, apply a warm, wet washcloth for 20 to 30 minutes up to five times a day. Continue applying heat until the boil opens on its own. Once open, clean it and apply a new bandage every day.
Reach out to your doctor right away if your boil doesn’t drain on its own, if you have a fever, or are experiencing uncomfortable or worsening symptoms.
3 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.Michigan Medicine.Boils.Merck Manual Professional Version.How to incise and drain an abscess.Ahmad H, Siddiqui SS.An unusually large carbuncle of the temporofacial region demonstrating remarkable post-debridement wound healing process: a case report.Wounds. 2017;29(4):92-95.
3 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.Michigan Medicine.Boils.Merck Manual Professional Version.How to incise and drain an abscess.Ahmad H, Siddiqui SS.An unusually large carbuncle of the temporofacial region demonstrating remarkable post-debridement wound healing process: a case report.Wounds. 2017;29(4):92-95.
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.
Michigan Medicine.Boils.Merck Manual Professional Version.How to incise and drain an abscess.Ahmad H, Siddiqui SS.An unusually large carbuncle of the temporofacial region demonstrating remarkable post-debridement wound healing process: a case report.Wounds. 2017;29(4):92-95.
Michigan Medicine.Boils.
Merck Manual Professional Version.How to incise and drain an abscess.
Ahmad H, Siddiqui SS.An unusually large carbuncle of the temporofacial region demonstrating remarkable post-debridement wound healing process: a case report.Wounds. 2017;29(4):92-95.
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