Pus Filled Boils Symptoms and Causes

Boils are medically referred to as skin abscess. They are pus-filled pockets which infect the hair follicle. If they are deep-seated then they can also affect the underlying subcutaneous tissues.

The mild boils do not require any treatment. They get dried soon after their appearance on the skin and do not bring about any pain.

However some boils become large and painful. They take long in getting cured and require some form of treatment to relieve the pain and discomfort.

The symptoms of the pus filled boils are:

  • Appearance of an itchy and tender, red colored patch on the skin.
  • A tiny nodule which grows in size.
  • Development of a white tip in the boil indicating the presence of pus.
  • If the boil infection has spread then the nearby lymph glands may get swollen.
  • In rare cases the infection spreads to the blood resulting in chills, high fever and rapid heart beat. This condition is called septicemia.

The main causes why pus filled boils appear on the skin are as follows:

  • Sometimes the skin is invaded by the bacteria from the surroundings along with a splinter, dust or dirt particles.
  • The bacteria present in the nasal chamber of some people get a chance of entering into the skin via a minor cut, rash or bruise. Such bacteria infect the hair follicle and make the skin their breeding ground.
  • If a person happens to use a towel or some other personal item belonging to someone who has boils, then the infection may spread as boils are highly contagious in nature.
  • An ingrown hair can also clog the hair follicle and cause a boil.
  • The blocking of the sweat glands with sebum can cause boils.
  • Sometimes the weakness of the immune system makes one prone to boils.
  • Lack of minerals and vitamins also make the immune system weak and the body becomes unable to tackle the infection.

Boils can be prevented by maintaining hygiene. Scented soaps should be replaced by anti-bacterial ones. One should avoid using the personal items belonging to others such as a towel lest it carries the staph bacteria. A balanced diet plays an important role in building up the immunity and making the body well-equipped to tackle the infection. The skin should be kept well scrubbed in order to prevent the skin’s pores from clogging due to the process called sloughing or shedding of the old cells.

The boils can be lanced or drained if they become large and painful. It is imperative that they are ripened before the pus is removes. The boils pus contains dead tissues, bacteria and the white blood cells, which are present there to fight off the infection. Since the boils are contagious, it is wiser to have the boil lanced by a doctor.

Mishandling of the boils can spread the infection to the internal organs. The boils near the mouth should not be licked under any circumstances. Such carelessness may cause blood poisoning or a fatal abscess of some internal organ such as brain.

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