How to Cure Skin Boils
Skin boils, often referred to as abscesses, occur as a result of an infection on the surface of the skin. The affected area will start out red and sore, then progress to a raised mark with a pus-filled center. Causes of skin boils include ingrown hairs, blocked oil ducts and splinters. If you have a skin boil, there are several options for clearing up the condition.
Instructions
-
-
1
Make an appointment with your doctor. If a skin boil is large or does not go away on its own, you'll require a visit with a physician in order to treat it.
-
2
Use heat to increase circulation to the affected area. You can soak in a warm bath or place a heating pad onto the skin boil. Heat should be applied for fifteen-minute intervals every four to six hours.
-
-
3
Check the head of the skin boil. After using heat to improve circulation, the head of the skin boil should become soft and filled with pus. This indicates that the skin boil is ready to be drained. You should not, however, drain the skin boil if the head is still firm.
-
4
Allow your doctor to lance the skin boil in order to drain the pus. In a sterile environment, using sterile surgical instruments, a doctor can cut into a boil in order to drain the inner pocket of pus. Due to the risk of infection, it is not recommended that you lance the skin boil on your own.
-
5
Take antibiotics after the skin boil has been drained. Although antibiotics will not cure a skin boil, they will likely be prescribed to treat the bacterial infection that may have caused the skin boil in the first place.
-
1
