This condition is known as recurrent staphylococcal furunculosis. It is very common for boils to 'crop', that is, to occur as several boils that go through their life-cycle and heal and then occur weeks or months later.

This whole process can take 2 weeks, and often doctors will 'lance' the boil early - make a deliberate hole in it to allow the pus to drain - to speed up the healing process. Dead white cells and dead bacteria make up the liquid pus in the center of the boil and, because this liquid forms under pressure, it becomes painful.Ī boil will always start to 'point' towards the skin surface and will eventually burst, draining the pus, relieving pain and will then heal. Once the boil reaches a certain size, this fibrous wall prevents antibiotics in the bloodstream penetrating into the boil. The body also creates a fibrous wall around the 'battleground' to contain the infection. How are boils formed?īoils are caused by a hair follicle (a tiny tunnel in the skin where hair grows from) or a tiny cut or scratch becoming infected by a bacteria (usually Staphylococcus aureus).Īs a boil starts to develop, the body's immune system carries white cells in the blood to the site of the boil to do battle with the invading bacteria. This is called an abscess.Ī pimple is a mini-boil. Several boils joined together with tunnels under the skin are called a carbuncle.Īs a boil gets larger it gets a cavity inside it filled with pus. They are a skin disease and in most cases are not due to anything wrong with the blood.Īnother name for a boil is a furuncle, and when multiple boils occur on the body, the condition is called furunculosis. Anyone with a boil entering a hospital must let medical staff know, to prevent spread of the boil bacteria.īoils are a very common skin infection.

Several methods can be used to treat boils at home, speed up healing and prevent spread to others.

Recurrent boils can prove difficult to treat, although there are several possible treatments that may break the cycle including washing with chlorhexidine soap and specialised antibiotic regimens.

Single boils may be lanced and heal eventually.

Some people are more susceptible than others to boils.

They occur when the skin becomes infected by bacteria(usually Staphylococcus aureus).

Boils can range in severity from a pimple to an abscess.

Is it good that my boil burst