How to Treat Boils

Make sure it’s a boil. Before starting treatment, it is important that you determine if it is really a boil. Boils are caused by a hair follicle infected with Staphylococcus aureus. Boils are contagious and can spread to other parts of the body or from person to person through contact. ^[1]

• Boils can be mistaken for a cyst or have a cyst underneath and need to be treated by a doctor. ^[2]
• You can also confuse boils with acne, especially when they are on the face or upper back. Acne has a completely different treatment than boils, so you need to determine if the pimples on the skin are really boils.
• If the lesions appear on the genitals, it is possible that you have a sexually transmitted disease rather than a boil.
• If you are unsure, see your doctor for a diagnosis.

Apply hot compresses to boils. As soon as a boil starts to form, you should treat it immediately by applying heat. The sooner you get treatment, the lower your risk of complications. Make a hot compress by dipping a clean washcloth in hot water to wet it and wring it out. Place a warm, damp washcloth on the boil for about 5-10 minutes. Apply 3-4 times per day. ^[3]

• Hot compresses provide many benefits to help boils heal. First, the warm temperature will increase blood circulation to the damaged area, attracting antibodies and white blood cells to the site of infection. Second, the heat also draws pus to the surface of the boil and drains faster. Finally, hot compresses also work to relieve pain.
• Instead of applying hot compresses, you can also soak the boil in warm water if the boil is in a favorable position. If boils appear on the lower body, you can sit in a hot tub to soak. ^[4]

Do not extract or break boils at home. Perhaps the surface of the boil is so soft and filled with pus that you just want to poke the pus out with a needle. However, you should not do so, as this may cause the boil to become infected or the bacteria in the boil to spread and cause new boils. If the hot compress is continued, the boil will burst on its own and the pus will drain out within 2 weeks. ^[5]

Wash pus-filled boils with antibacterial soap. Keeping it clean when a boil starts to drain is extremely important. Wash the boil thoroughly with antibacterial soap and warm water until the pus drains out. Dry the boil with a clean cotton towel or paper towel. Remember to throw away tissues or wash cotton towels immediately after use to prevent infection from spreading.

Apply antibiotic cream and cover the boil. The next step is to apply antibiotic cream or ointment and apply gauze to cover the boil. The boil will continue to drain when the gauze is applied, so you need to change the gauze often. Antibiotic creams and ointments specifically for boils are available over-the-counter in pharmacies. ^[4]

• Change gauze at most every 12 hours. Change only more often if blood or pus seeps through the dressing.

Continue applying hot compresses until the boil is completely healed. Once the boil has drained of pus, you should continue to apply heat, wash and cover the boil until it is completely healed. If kept clean, complications will not occur and the boil will heal completely within 1-2 weeks.

• Remember to wash your hands with antibacterial soap before and after touching the boil to prevent the infection from spreading.

See your doctor if the boil doesn’t drain after 2 weeks or becomes infected. Some cases require medical intervention due to the size and location of the boil or an infected boil. The doctor will have to extract the boil in the clinic or have to operate. In these cases, the boil may have many pockets of pus that need to be drained, or the boil may be located in a sensitive location, such as in the nose or ear canal. If the boil or the surrounding skin becomes infected, you may be given an injection of an antibiotic or prescribed an oral antibiotic. You should seek medical treatment in the following cases: ^[6]

• If the boil grows on the face or spine, in the nose or ear canal, or in the buttock slit. These boils can be extremely painful and difficult to treat at home.
• If boils repeatedly recur. In some cases of recurrent boils in areas of the skin such as the groin and armpits, the doctor may have to remove the sweat glands that often become inflamed and form boils.
• If the boil is accompanied by a fever, red rays radiate from the boil or the surrounding skin becomes inflamed and red. These symptoms are all signs of an infection.
• If you have a medical condition (such as cancer or diabetes) or are taking medications that affect your immune system. In these cases, the body is often unable to fight off the infection caused by the boil.
• If the boil does not drain after 2 weeks of home treatment, or causes severe pain. ^[7]