It happens that even a person with perfect skin once finds a painful abscess on some part of the body. This is the boil. An annoying cosmetic defect is not always harmless and with an illiterate approach can cause serious trouble. What should be the right treatment for a boil? What can and should absolutely not be done with it? In what cases is it necessary to consult a doctor? You will find answers to these and many other questions in this article.

What is a boil?

A boil is called purulent-necrotic inflammation that occurs in the hair follicle and spreads to the surrounding tissue.

To understand where and how this happens, you have to go a little deeper into the study of the structure of the hair.

Hair is a modified keratinized epidermal cells. They consist of:

  • the rod that we see above the surface of the skin;
  • a root located directly in its thickness.

The root "sits" in the follicular sac (you probably saw it on the tip of the plucked brow), where the hair is nourished. The ducts of the sebaceous and sweat glands exit into the cavity of the sac.It is important to know that sebum has an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect, and therefore normally protects the dermis from pathogenic microorganisms. But if something went wrong, the microbes that abundantly live on the skin enter the hair follicle and cause inflammation there. So the formation of the boil begins.

Visually, this is manifested by the formation of a dense inflamed area on the skin, which increases over time, and then breaks through with the release of pus and the discharge of the necrotic core. A boil can appear on any part of the body where there is hair. So, everywhere except the palms and feet.

  1. Most often, it forms on the face (in approximately 60% of cases).
  2. In the second place in the frequency of rashes is the back of the head.
  3. With varying success, inflammations periodically occur on the buttocks, hips, shoulders, and inguinal region.

Adults are more susceptible to the disease than children, and men suffer from this problem more often than women. Boils can appear at any age, but most often affect people from 10 to 40 years old.

Causes of the boil

Having understood the mechanism of the occurrence of inflammation, we have not yet figured out what is the prerequisite for this. The reasons why sebum does not cope with the attack of microbes are many. Consider the main ones.

  1. Mechanical damage to the skin. This can happen during shaving, due to regular rubbing (such as armpits or groin) or for other reasons.
  2. Drying the skin with alcohol, cosmetic procedures. As a result of these actions, the epidermis loses the protective lipid layer and, in addition, is covered with microcracks.
  3. Irrational hygiene or lack thereof. Too frequent hygiene procedures destroy the skin's natural defenses. And insufficient purification promotes the growth of bacteria.
  4. Decreased immunity, regardless of the cause. Hypothermia, exacerbation of chronic diseases, infection, etc.
  5. Strengthening sweating in conjunction with a violation of the protective functions of the skin. Therefore, in the hot season, boils bother people more often. Athletes and those engaged in physical work in adverse conditions are also susceptible to the disease.
  6. Prolonged skin contact with pathogenic nasal discharge in case of rhinitis or other infectious diseases.
  7. Professional factor (work with chemicals, dust, etc.)
  8. Hormonal disorders caused by adrenal hyperfunction. These organs are also responsible for the secretion of sebaceous glands.
  9. Diabetes.

In each case, the intensity of the disease is individual and the methods of treatment are different.

So, an accidental cut is likely to cause a single boil in the area of ​​damage. And hormonal failure can lead to multiple inflammation in different parts of the body. This condition is called furunculosis and requires serious treatment.

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Theoretically, absolutely any bacterium that lives on the skin can provoke inflammation. But most often laurels of the winner go to staphylococcus. This microorganism lives on the human body and surrounding objects constantly and is part of the natural microflora. While immunity is strong, staphylococcus is not dangerous, but as soon as a breach appears in the protective system, the insidious bacterium does not miss the chance to seize the moment.

Symptoms of a boil

The appearance of a single boil is accompanied by localized pain, swelling and a sharp reddening of the affected area. In the case of inflammation on the face, in the region of the lymph nodes, or simply when the abscess is large, a fever, worsening of the general condition may appear.

The development of a boil normally goes through three stages.

  1. The appearance of infiltrate. The follicle gradually becomes inflamed, the tissues around it become harder, acquire a red color, swell.There is a sharp pain during touch. People say that the boil is ripening.
  2. The formation of necrosis. After 3-4 days, a necrotic core consisting of dead cells and pus forms around the hair inside the diseased follicle. A noticeable abscess with a white or black head now appears on the skin, which will independently open over time. When this happens, pus will come out first, and then the core itself will move away. An open wound forms at the site of the boil, swelling subsides, inflammation disappears.
  3. Healing. A small boil usually leaves no residue after healing. But if the inflammation was extensive, then the opening of the abscess resembles an ulcer that heals for a long time and leaves a scar on the skin.

Despite the fact that the boil is usually quite simple to determine, in some cases, even doctors need tests to make an accurate diagnosis. For example, inflammation of the follicle on the buttock should be differentiated from inflammation of the sciatic nerve, on the penis - with diseases transmitted through sexual intercourse, and so on. Therefore, before applying the life-giving plantain to a sore spot, still visit a surgeon or dermatologist with a problem that worries you.

Types and Types

Most often, with proper therapy, even at home, a boil is not dangerous. But on certain parts of the body, inflammation can be extremely dangerous and even entail sepsis and other complications.

Depending on the number and location of foci of inflammation, they are usually distinguished.

  1. Inflammation of one hair follicle is called a boil.
  2. Inflammation of several adjacent follicles is already a carbuncle.
  3. Multiple inflammations formed on different parts of the body are furunculosis.

Boil on the body

On the body of the boil (as the people call the boil) can appear in the most unexpected place. The largest are formed on the buttocks and hips. But their most familiar place is the lower back. It is often said that a person was blown up. Indeed, the appearance of an abscess can provoke a local decrease in immunity. Typically, such a single rash passes independently and does not require surgical intervention. It is only important to ensure that the affected area is not rubbed or injured.

Boil in the ear

One of the most painful and dangerous places where a boil can appear is the auricle, lobe and the area around the ear. Here boils are especially painful, up to the impossibility of touching them. An abscess in the ear is often accompanied by a jump in temperature and a deterioration in overall well-being. The inflammation that has arisen in this area should not be touched at all! Unless, of course, you want to walk for a week with a drainage tube or even lose your hearing.

Facial boil

The most favorite place for boils is the face. And the most dangerous. One of the rules of purulent surgery says that touching any rashes on the face, and especially in the area of ​​the nasolabial triangle, is strictly prohibited. In view of the structural features, the formation of thrombosis of blood and lymph vessels with subsequent sepsis or inflammation of the meninges is possible here.

Boil in the nose

An extremely painful condition is caused by a boil that appears inside the nose. The prerequisite for this is most often plucking hairs in the nostrils or the habit of picking your nose. Bacterial rhinitis can also cause the appearance of a boil. The inflammation that has spread as a result of an attempt to squeeze a boil can cause blindness and paralysis of the facial vein.

Boil on the pope

Buttocks are also not immune from the appearance of a boil. In addition, unlike other parts of the body, a boil in a soft place brings great discomfort.The sore spot on the face can not be touched throughout the entire period of treatment, but how to abandon the need to sit? In the priest, boils usually reach quite impressive sizes, and therefore getting rid of them on their own can be problematic. The cause of inflammation of the follicles on the buttocks is most often insufficient hygiene and hypothermia.

Furuncle on the labia

Any rashes on the labia are strictly forbidden to treat on their own. A boil in the intimate zone can cause serious inflammatory processes, including causing bartholinitis. This is called inflammation of the gland responsible for the secretion of vaginal lubrication. In addition, self-diagnosis is very reckless, as various inflammations and rashes on the genitals can indicate STDs.

Boil on a member

This phenomenon is not so frequent, but the most prone to complication. And the problem is not that the penis somehow particularly reacts to the appearance of a boil. Simply, most men are embarrassed to go to the doctor with their problem and prescribe home treatment for themselves, which often begins with an autopsy. The consequences are usually very sad - an abscess, extensive inflammation, lymphadenitis.

Furuncle under the arm

As well as the inflammatory process on the penis, an abscess under the armpit very often leads to the development of lymphadenitis. This is due to the proximity of the lymph nodes. In addition, excessive sweating and inevitable friction when walking often provoke the formation of large boils in this area. Such inflammation must be opened in a hospital. Boil under the arm is usually accompanied by severe pain and general malaise.

Abscessing boil

Sometimes the boil does not open on its own, as a result of which the inflammation is becoming increasingly widespread, involving nearby tissues. This condition is called abscessed boil, and it requires mandatory (!) Surgical intervention. An abscess can be quite provoked by trying to squeeze a boil on its own or accelerating the process of its maturation by warming wet compresses.

It may seem that the terrible consequences of furunculosis are contrived and seem to be specially propagated by harmful doctors in order to drive more patients to hospitals. Well, in fact, who goes with the usual pimple to the doctor? But a boil is not an acne and there are situations when it is not possible to do without surgical intervention or drug therapy.

How to treat a boil at home quickly?

No matter how insignificant a problem the boil may seem at first glance, it is better to overcome the desire to solve it yourself.

Remember that you can not treat the disease at home in the following cases:

  • the problem arose in the child;
  • several boils (furunculosis develops);
  • the inflammatory process is accompanied by temperature;
  • you have been diagnosed with diabetes;
  • boil caused an abscess;
  • the boil does not open independently, after a few days from the onset of inflammation;
  • inflammation affected several hair follicles and a carbuncle appeared;
  • the affected area reaches more than 5 mm in diameter;
  • the boil appeared on the face, in the ear, armpit or groin.

In other words, only a single boil can be treated at home on the back, shoulders, limbs, which has not reached large sizes and is not accompanied by fever. In other situations, a visit to a doctor is strictly necessary.

When there are many boils, local therapy is not enough.

The treatment is supposed to be comprehensive, including:

  • UV irradiation;
  • laser therapy;
  • strengthening immunity, including with the help of immunomodulatory drugs.

If it was revealed that the disease appeared on the background of hormonal failure, then treatment, of course, involves, first of all, eliminating the cause of furunculosis.

Ointments and agents that accelerate the breakthrough of an abscess

Contrary to the widely publicized method of heating the boil with hot wet compresses, do not do this if you do not want to create an abscess. In this way, I really want to accelerate the maturation of the rod, but at the same time, the inflammation spreads to the nearest tissues.

Instead, it is best to do as follows:

  • apply an antiseptic solution to the painful area (it is best to use ordinary medical alcohol for these purposes);
  • lubricate the inflamed area with Levomekol ointment;
  • you can cauterize the boil with iodine;
  • heating by infrared rays is allowed.

If the abscess is large, in a hospital at the stage of infiltration, antibiotic blockade can be performed.

Boil removal

The boil should open itself! No pressing movements or surgical instruments should attempt to accelerate this process.

  1. To soften the tip of the boil, it can be lubricated with salicylic acid.
  2. At the stage of the formation of infiltrate in a hospital, antibiotics and painkillers can be chipped off of the inflamed area. Such a blockade is usually enough to stop inflammation and repeat the procedure is not required.
  3. At home, the boil can be covered twice a day with ichthyol ointment. An ichthyol plug is formed on the surface of the inflamed area, which is easily removed without injuring the skin.

At later dates, an ointment from boils alone is not able to prevent inflammation. Therefore, it remains to wait for the boil to ripen. Then the purulent contents come out on their own. In this case, the wound is treated with clean hands with a solution of furatsilina, and then with hydrogen peroxide. Necrotic core may not come out immediately, but after a while. This process cannot be accelerated; it will occur on its own after the complete separation of necrotic tissue.

Bar Removal Operation

In a hospital, the rod is removed with a special clamp. Surgical intervention is usually indicated with the spread of purulent infiltrate into the subcutaneous tissue with the formation of an abscess. The focus is opened in the hospital, after which the resulting cavity is cleaned. In some cases, a drainage tube can be supplied to drain the exudate. When the wound is healed, the drainage is removed, and its edges are treated with brilliant green.

Care for the foci of the abscess after opening

Cavities formed after opening the boil daily are treated with hydrogen peroxide. To cleanse the necrotic masses, you can make dressings with a solution of sodium chloride. When the wound cleanses, once every couple of days you can treat its edges with Vishnevsky ointment.

When to start drinking antibiotics?

The use of antibiotics is not necessary in the treatment of a single boil.

But they can be appointed if:

  • the patient has sharply reduced immunity;
  • the patient suffers from diabetes;
  • the wound heals for a very long time.

It is impossible to prescribe antibiotics for boils yourself, since the doctor, when choosing a remedy, focuses on the type of bacterium that caused inflammation. Only 10% of all staphylococcus strains are capable of causing boils and far from all of them are sensitive to classical antibacterial agents.

Antibiotics are also indicated in the treatment of multiple foci of inflammation or in surgery. But in this case, the doctor will definitely explain when, how much and what drugs should be taken. Illiterate taking any kind of antibiotic can “harden” the bacterium, making it more resistant to other drugs.

Alternative methods for treating boils

Before the risky procedure of destroying a boil by folk methods, it is better to consult a doctor. You can not fight on your own with carbuncles, furunculosis, abscesses and inflammations on the face, in the ears, on the genitals.

  1. One of the oldest ways to deal with all dermatological problems is scarlet.And the boil is no exception. Apply the leaves of this plant, after cutting them lengthwise, with the pulp, to the inflamed area. Fix the sheet with a gauze bandage or adhesive so that the affected area "breathes". Change lotion should be when the sheet withers.
  2. Butter and propolis. Melt the butter in a pan, put propolis to it and heat it too. Mix well, remove from heat and apply a warm dry compress to the boil.
  3. A mixture of crushed marigold leaves and the same butter can be applied to the boil in the ripening stage. Powder the leaves in a mortar, melt the butter. Mix the ingredients and when the mass has cooled to a comfortable temperature, apply to the sore spot.

Chronic furunculosis: symptoms and treatment

Chronic furunculosis, which appears regularly after a successful course of treatment. Rashes are found on various parts of the body, can cause a general deterioration in well-being and fever. Ordinary furunculosis usually becomes chronic, the true cause of which has not been elucidated. Most often these are hormonal disorders or chronic diseases that reduce immunity.

For the correct diagnosis, blood and urine should be tested, the condition of the ENT organs, digestive and endocrine systems should be checked.

Treatment is primarily aimed at the destruction of the provoking factor. Practice shows that even chronic furunculosis against the background of diabetes can be kept in check.

What is the danger of a boil during pregnancy?

Pregnant women are prone to boils almost more often than other people. Contributes to this reduced immunity and hormonal jumps. It is absolutely impossible to treat yourself independently, since it is very important to identify the cause of inflammatory processes. Self-medication can also lead to abscess and blood poisoning, which already poses an immediate threat to the life of the mother and child.

Treatment in pregnant women is almost never carried out with antibiotics (including ointments). Therapy is mainly aimed at accelerating the maturation of the boil and quick healing.

Furunculosis in children

Treatment of furunculosis in children is no different from adult therapy. Inflamed areas should not be injured and wet moist compresses applied to them. If even one boil appears in a child, do not engage in home therapy. And not because you can’t cope, but because of the need to find out the reasons for its appearance.

In general, a child’s boil develops according to a traditional pattern. Matures, opens, forming a wound that heals over time. The advisability of taking antibiotics in each case is determined only by the doctor.

What to take vitamins with furunculosis?

There is no need to take extra multivitamins if you once had a single boil that opened and healed on its own. But in severe cases, when antibiotic therapy was carried out or an abscess accompanied the disease, an additional reception may be indicated:

  • ascorbic acid;
  • thiamine;
  • riboflavin;
  • nicotinamide.

The use of vitamins B and C helps to strengthen immunity and accelerate metabolic processes. Thus, prevention of relapse occurs, and wound healing is accelerated.

Nutrition for furunculosis

Special diets for furunculosis are usually not prescribed.

Nutrition should be rational and devoid of potential "harmful":

  • butter baking;
  • carbonated drinks;
  • sweet creams, pastries, cakes;
  • sauces;
  • fried and fatty dishes.

This set of products affects the activity of the sebaceous glands.

In the diet, the presence of plant-rich foods rich in vitamins is necessary to strengthen the body's protective barrier. Adequate intake of carbohydrates (pasta, cereals, potatoes) is important. After consulting a doctor, you can additionally take brewer's yeast.

Boils are not only a cosmetic defect.This disease, the treatment of which often requires a systematic approach. To prevent the disease, strengthen the immune system, eat right and do not start chronic diseases.

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