Boils and Skin Disease
Boils are infections of hair follicles under the skin that become pus-filled painful bumps, according to the Mayo Clinic. Boils can be caused by skin diseases, such as dermatitis, and can place you at higher risk for other skin infections.
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Features
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Boils form when staph bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) enter your skin through a cut or scratch and causes your body to send white blood cells to fight it off, according to the Mayo Clinic. The resulting pus, a mixture of dead white blood cells and dead bacteria swell up to form the boil.
Function
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The Mayo Clinic states that certain types of skin conditions, such as acne and dermatitis, can cause damage to the skin that can make it more susceptible to boils.
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Considerations
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Open boils can also become infected with more severe forms of bacteria that can lead to more serious skin disorders, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacteria that is impervious to many forms of antibiotics and can cause deep abscesses that can be quite painful, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Prevention/Solution
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You should not attempt to lance a boil at home, according to the Mayo Clinic. You should see a doctor who will drain the boil and cover it in sterile gauze to minimize infection and may prescribe antibiotics as well.
Identification
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Boils appear suddenly as bright red or pink painful bumps and fill with pus within a couple of days. You also can develop carbuncles, a cluster of boils that sometimes occur alongside a fever or fatigue, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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