Boils
Boils Causes
Staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) generally cause boils, when one or more hair follicles become infected. These bacteria are responsible for a number of serious diseases, including pneumonia and meningitis which normally inhabit your skin and sometimes your nasal passages and throat.
Boils Definition
Painful, pus-filled bumps that form under your skin when bacteria infect and inflame one or more of your follicles are called boils and carbuncles. They usually start as red, tender lumps that quickly fill with pus, growing larder and more painful until they rupture and drain, which mostly take about two weeks to heal although some boils disappear in a few days after they occur. They may appear anywhere on your skin, but appear mainly on your neck, face, armpits, thighs or buttocks where these hair-bearing areas are most likely to sweat or experience friction.
Boils Diagnosis
Boils can be diagnosed by doctors by looking at your skin, but sometimes they take a sample of pus to check for the bacteria it contains.
Boils Symptoms and Signs
A painful pink or red bump that's generally not more that 1 inch in diameter is a symptom for a boil appearing on your skin which may also be red and swollen. The bump fills with pus within a few days and it grows larger and more painful for about five to seven days, and would sometimes reach like a golf ball size before developing a yellow-white tip that finally ruptures and drains. A large boil leaves a scar while small boils usually heal without scarring.
Boils Treatment
The doctor may make a small incision in the tip to be able to drain a large boil, relieving pain and speeding recovery which could also help to lessen scarring. Sometimes, antibiotics may be prescribed to help heal severe or recurrent infections.