What Are Boils? 7 Tips To Fight Them
Painful, uncomfortable and dangerous if not treated with care, a “boil” is an abscess that forms in the skin due to an infection of a hair follicle, the skin structures (pores) through which hairs grow.
The affected area becomes inflamed and a painful lump forms, which can fill with pus and dead cells.
As the amount of pus increases, the body will look for ways to drain it, so that at some point a white or yellowish spot will appear on the inflamed area, similar to what happens with acne.
These follicles are prone to infection, especially in moist areas with lots of hair and where there is friction or friction, such as the armpit, buttocks, thighs, face, neck and groin. Other cases that can cause skin infections are:
- mosquito bites
- Friction, clothing or skin-to-skin injuries
- Small cuts when shaving
- abrasions
- scratches
Why are boils generated?
We are all prone to injury. This kind of damage to the skin leaves it exposed to bacteria that live on its surface, which can cause an infection, no matter how small.
A boil does not only affect the infected follicle, but also the tissue around it.
Not every skin lesion creates boils, as our immune system must be able to fight off the bacteria before infections are generated.
However, even if you follow the tips for fighting boils, there are certain things that can make us more prone to such infections, or even suffer from boils, a condition in which multiple abscesses often occur.
Some of the reasons that make us more likely to suffer from boils are:
- genetic predisposition
- bad hygiene
- Diabetes
- Renal insufficiency
- Cirrhosis
- Use of drugs
- HIV
- Chronic Skin Diseases
- Obesity
- Advanced age
- wearing tight clothes
Why do boils appear so often?
Generally, cases where several abscesses occur in succession are a consequence of the points listed above, or of inadequate treatment for some other previous infection.
Another advice for fighting boils is to wash clothes, sheets, and blankets that might have been in contact with the affected area with mild soap; this way you can avoid another infection.
If the inflammation doesn’t go down naturally and the infection continues for more than 10 days, if you have several boils at the same time, or if you have a fever, see a dermatologist.
He will be able to drain them and prescribe proper treatment.
Seven Tips to Fight Boils
It is possible to get rid of boils. You just need to adopt a few good habits to fight them and avoid developing them too often. So pay attention to your skin. Take note!
- If you have a boil, use warm water compresses, chamomile tea, or basil leaves at least three times a day to help reduce pain and inflammation. It is important that the swab is clean and that you use a new one each time you repeat the process.
- While you have boils, bathe daily with antiseptic soap.
- Boils tend to burst spontaneously after a few days. If this is the case, clean the area with sterile gauze, water and mild soap to prevent the pus that has been eliminated from infecting other areas of the skin.
- Keep hairy areas of your skin under control, clean and dry to prevent infections.
- Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight or that create friction in delicate areas of your body, so that you can avoid injuries that could develop into boils in the future.
- Do not squeeze the boil with your nails, otherwise the infection will worsen. Let it burst and clear the pus on its own, and if it doesn’t, visit your dermatologist.
- If you are very likely to develop these infections even following the tips above, we recommend that you have general checkups to determine what factors are affecting your skin’s health.
Conclusion
It’s also a way to take care of our entire body, as avoiding these infections also protects our blood and organs.
Furthermore, these measures allow us to live a more comfortable and pain-free life.
