Boils are complete individual hair follicles that build up with pus and dead tissue caused by a staphylococcus infection.
Alternative Names
These nodules are most often referred to as boils, but there are alternative names for this same condition that include:
Carbuncles
Carbunculosis
Furuncles
Furunculous
Infection of the hair follicle
Hair Follicle Infection
Skin Abscesses – this can include a variety of skin infection conditions.
Symptoms
A boil usually begins as a tender, swollen nodule that is ranges from the size of a pea to around the size of a golf ball. It has a feeling similar to a water filled balloon. The outer skin area around the boil is pinkish to red in color.
As the boil fills with pus and dead tissue, the nodule becomes more painful. A white or yellow center, also known as a pustules, develops. When the boil begins to drain, it may appear to weep, ooze or even crust over. The pain will get better as the pressure is released when the boil drains. If a boil does not drain on its own, it may be necessary for a patient or medical professional to make an opening in the boil themselves.
Some other symptoms that may occur when a patient has a boil includes
A feeling of fatigue or severe tiredness
A fever that can range from mild to severe, depending on the severity of the infection within the boil and the stage the boil is at.
An overall ill feeling
Severe itching in the area prior to any visible signs of a boil being present.
A redness in the surrounding skin of the boil and inflammation.
Causes
Boils are a very common skin infection that are generally caused when a staphylococcus infection that is present on the skin enters into the tissue of the skin through a damaged hair follicle. Damage to the hair follicle can be caused by an ingrown hair, cut, scrape, injury, underlying medical condition or by an object piercing the skin, such as a gunshot, stabbing, ect. Boils can occur within any area of the body that has hair follicles.
Most patients report boils in or around:
The face
In the armpit areas
On the back of the neck
Within the buttocks area
On the inside of the thighs
In the groin area
On the inside of their nasal passage, especially true in diabetic patients
Risk Factors
Anyone can be at risk for developing a boil. This is especially true for a person who has come into contact with someone who has had a boil or have come in direct contact with the infection that is within a boil. There are, however, certain groups that are at a higher risk of developing boils.
This includes:
People with a compromised immune system. A person who has a weak or compromised immune system are unable to fight off infections adequately and are unable to heal properly.
This includes people with mild, temporary conditions, such as the flu, colds, allergies or other minor health conditions. Their bodies are already working overtime to fight the virus or infection that afflicting other parts of their body.
It also includes people who have more severe medical conditions that have left their immune system weak and vulnerable, such as an AIDS patient, HIV patients or cancer patients.
Diabetes
Patients who have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Diabetics have a difficult time healing from illnesses or injuries that they may have suffered. They do not fight off infections, heal infections or mend very easily due to their diabetes disease. That is why it is especially important for diabetic patients to practice pristine personal hygiene techniques and seek medical treatment immediately for any boils that do occur.
Human Contact
A person who has been in contact with someone who has boils or comes in contact with the infection that causes boils. When someone within your home has boils, special precautions should be taken to eliminate the transfer of the infection from one person to another.
You should make sure that all towels, washcloths and bedding are washed in boiling hot water to kill any of the germs or bacteria that may be present. Hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer should be a common practice within the home while the staphylococcus infection is present. It is also possible to come in contact with the infection if you use public restrooms, share clothing with a person who has boils or even have hand to hand contact if you do not wash your hands prior to touching any part of your body.
Hygiene & Nutrition
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