I have two boils, one is hard and the other is softer. what can i do to make the 'open?

Question

I just noticed the one that is soft, it really hurts. I have never had boils before, but when i applied heat, it made it feel better.

the harder one has been there for over a month. it will take 2-3weeks for my dr. to see me, are these worth a trip to the ER for?

they both are about the size of a normal pencil eraser.

Answer 1

A boil is a skin abscess. It usually contains infection deep under the skin level. An "older" boil becomes hard and firm to the touch which is basically the center of the abscess, as it matures more and more it becomes soft and fills with infection/bacteria/proteins (white blood cells). The collection of the white blood cells, bacteria, is pus - eeewww!

You can wait until it is ready on it's own - the pus comes to a head and just pops and drain out of the skin. Or you can treat most boils with applying heat. Heat increases circulation to the boil. Which also helps the body heal the boil as well. But, this will only work on smaller boils - larger ones will need to be lanced at the dr. office.

I recommend the application of Tea Tree Oil after the boil has burst. Get this from Wal-Mart in the foot care section, it is cheaper and you get 2x as much. Do a search on Tea Tree Oil - it has zillions of medical uses.

Unless you are running a fever - in massive pain, have "string" like redness coming from the site an ER trip is not needed. But, remember to keep the area clean even after the boil has been squished! Oh, and not that you are stupid or anything - but wash your hands before and after. You can transfer the bacteria from your hands - like to your eye if you rub it and have infection on it.

Believe it or not, antibiotics have a difficult time getting throught the outer wall of an abscess. It will not cure an abscess without lancing and drainage of the boil.


There are 4 different types of boils:

Furuncle (carbuncle): Caused by Staphylococcus. This one will cause a fever or chills ... it is a "staff" type infection.

Cystic (zit): Oil ducts become clogged and infected.

Hidradenitis suppurativa: Abscesses that form under a stinky arm pit or groin area from sweat. Usually the result of inflammation of the sweat glands. These type you more than likely have to have drained.

Pilonidal cyst (BUTT Boil): They usually start out as little ole tiny areas of infection in the skin where the hair grows. These little suckers can get infected and will have to be lanced, and usually will need to be "packed" to heal up. NOT FUN!

If you have an impaired immune system, are a diabetic, have kidney disease, see a dr. your body will not heal these up on your own. I am a diabetic and I can't heal well and have to go to a "wound center" to get even a simple cut to heal sometimes!

Take care!

Answer 2

i think you should go to the doctor because if you have boils it could be from a staph (staff) infection. They can give you anti-biotics to take to get rid of the infection. It is not worth a trip to the ER....try this: get a washcloth and run it under the hottest water you can stand and place it directly onto the boil....when the cloth starts cooling down, put it back under the hot water and repeat. It should only take about 10 minutes before it is ready to pop. Take a needle and poke into the center of the boil, this may hurt a little. but once the needle goes through the skin you should be able to move the needle around inside the boil without feeling any pain. Then take the needle out, the puss should seep out, squeeze it gently. They say its not good to do this because it could leave a scar, but i have had to do it before....and I'm still alive and well.

At the ER I'm pretty sure they will just take a syringe and poke it into the boil and suck out the puss, i just mention how to do this method at home.

Answer 3

Take a wash cloth and soak it in hot water, just as hot as you can bear to have on your skin. Then put the wash cloth on the boil until it cools, and repeat for about five minutes. The heat should bring the boil to a head. Then, if it has a head, pop it like you would a pimple (it's going to hurt a little more, but it should work it's way out.) However, like a pimple, if it doesn't give after a couple tries, leave it alone for a day or two, then repeat the process.

Answer 4

Boils are often caused by a virus in the bloodstream(nothing serious usually as long as you haven't had intimate contact with someone else who has a similar type infection)((sorry if that seemed personal)). If you've never had them before, then I would consider a trip to the ER to start on a regimen of antibiotics as they can become very large and painful.
The doctor might even 'lance' one or both. Don't fear though, it sounds more painful than it really is, is over quick, and is OH SOOOO relieving!

Answer 5

You really need to see your family doctor on this one; boils can be caused by a staph infection sometimes and need to be treated with an antibiotic! ( Not in all cases though!) There is a salve called PRID salve that is very effective on boils, the area needs to be clean and dry before applying the salve, and a bandage needs to be used to cover the boil after applying also! Hope this info. helps!