What is a Boil?
The difference between a pimple and a boil is that a boil occurs deeper in the skin. A boil is an infection that can spread, so it can also get a lot larger and meaner. A boil is a pimple with problems.
Also known as an abscess, a boil is red, tender, and painful, appears suddenly, and proceeds through several stages, eventually becoming a pus-filled lump that comes to a head. Once it does that, it may burst and drain itself, or it may have to be surgically lanced. Bacteria are involved, and should the infection spread to adjacent skin, the lump may become several lumps that join to become a much larger lump, a furuncle (carbuncle), with accompanying chills and fever. It then needs medical attention.
Boils are like a very bad case of acne. In fact, there is one type of boil known as cystic acne that affects deeper skin tissue than the more common form of acne, Acne vulgaris.
What Causes Boils?
MedicineNet.com lists these types of boils:
* Hidradenitis suppurativa: When sweat glands become inflamed, multiple abscesses may result in the arm pits and/or the groin. If this condition can't be cured with antibiotics, the sweat glands must be surgically removed to stop the skin inflammation.
* Pilonidal cyst: Prolonged sitting produces a firm, painful, tender nodule in the crease of the buttocks.
Boils are caused most commonly by:
1. Cuts or scrapes that become infected.
2. Ingrown hairs.
3. Foreign material lodged in the skin.
4. Plugged sweat glands.
5. Certain diseases like cat scratch fever.
6. Stress.
7. Toxicity.
8. Allergy.
9. Thyroid imbalance.
Skin Boils from Diabetes and Skin Infections
Even otherwise healthy people can develop boils or carbuncles, but some factors can increase the risk:
* A compromised immune system opens one to getting infections that turn into boils. Diabetics, for example, need to avoid dry skin and skin infections. Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is the same bacterium responsible for pneumonia, meningitis, urinary tract infections, endocarditis, and food-borne illnesses; Candida albicans is a fungus. Both cause skin infections most common among people with diabetes; these skin infections include boils.
* Constant irritations like those caused by a tight collar can cause rashes; continuous irritation breaks the skin, and bacteria may then enter through a cut or a scratch. White blood cells, neutrophils, collect at the site to fight infection, creating inflammation. Pus forms.
* Other skin problems - acne, as one example - create susceptibility to boils and carbuncles.
* Corticosteroids that suppress the immune system, such as prednisone, increase susceptibility.
Treatment for Boils
Never squeeze or pop a boil, as this could cause it to burst internally, creating an even worse infection.
Hot compresses may relieve pain and make a boil heal faster. If a painful boil persists, see a doctor, who may drain it and prescribe antibiotics.
Tea tree oil, which is the oil from the leaves of the Australian tea tree, may be used to directly treat the skin where the boil is located. It's an antibacterial and germicidal agent. Apply a light coating 3 to 4 times a day, and continue for 2 weeks after the infection has disappeared.
Steeping the leaves of goldenseal, Echinacea, and burdock makes an herb tea that is said to help clear up an infection.
To prevent boils, try changing your diet. Incorporate fresh garlic, an effective antiseptic delivered through the circulatory system. Drink at least a liter of water a day, put fiber in your diet, and avoid foods which constipate and make skin problems worse by forcing more waste to be eliminated through the skin. Eat fresh and unprocessed foods, including green leafy vegetables. Except for fresh fruits, avoid high glucose foods and also refined foods such as white bread.