How to Treat a Facial Boil

So one day you wake up, look in the mirror and notice you've been cursed by the wicked witch: you have a boil on your face. Can it get any worse? Well actually it can, so if you follow these steps you'll not only save your skin from scarring, but you'll prevent your family from getting that nasty infection as well.
The technical term for a boil is furunculosis, and it most likely occurs from folliculitis - when a hair follicle gets infected. So when you see those red bumps on your skin after shaving, they need to be taken care of immediately. The best course for preventing a hair follicle from getting infected is to apply salicylic acid after you remove the hair and for a few days thereafter.
I unfortunately have had a boil turn into an abscess - a huge version of a boil that is really gross - so these tips are coming from my own personal experience and from advice I've received from my physician.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Wash cloths
• Epsom salt
• Hot water
• Band-aid or gauze
• Antibacterial or antimicrobial wash

1. Do NOT squeeze the boil! This will only lead to further infection by pushing it deeper into the skin and then it will pop up somewhere else in addition to the one you already have.

2. Even though the last thing you'll want to do is leave the house, you should consider buying Epsom salt. Fill your bathroom sink half way with hot water and Epsom salt. Place a cloth in the sink filled with water and make sure it is completely saturated. Then apply Epsom salt on the compress and place it over the boil for a few minutes but do not press hard. Do this three times a day until the boil comes to a head. It might take a couple of days or a full week, but the important thing is to try to get the infected material to come out. After you use the warm compress you might want to cover it with a band-aid or gauze secured with gentle adhesive tape. You just never know when the boil will form a head and start to ooze so it's better to be careful.

3. Once the boil forms a head, pus will be ready to come out, and this is the time when you are most contagious. Make sure you continue to soak the boil and cover it until the boil completely drains. This again might take a day or a few days depending on how large the boil is. My abscess actually took about 10 days to drain because it was the size of a golf ball - but it was on my thigh and not my face - however, most boils on the face will be much smaller.

4. To prevent family members from getting infected make sure you do not share any soap, towels, wash cloths, clothes, or pillowcases. When your boil is draining change your pillowcase nightly and make sure you use a different towel daily. Consider washing your face with an antimicrobial wash like Hibiclens (http://www.hibigeebies.com/) or an antibacterial cleanser in the area where you have the boil. This will help prevent the infection from spreading and if used once a week, could help prevent future boils.

Tips & Warnings

• If your boil does not form a head after 10 days of trying to treat it at home, see your doctor.