What Is A Boil (Furuncle)?

A boil(also referred to as a “furuncle“) is a painful skin infection which usually starts as a flushed and sore area. After some time the area will become stiff and hard and in the last stage the middle part of the boil will get more delicate and swollen. Then you will also notice that it has been filled with pus and dead tissue. Pus is a mixture of bacteria(in this case Staphylococcus aureus), white blood cells as well as proteins. The sole function of white blood cells is to eradicate the infection caused by the Staphylococcus. This is a circular shaped bacteria which name comes from Greek and means bunch of grapes. The name wasn’t given accidentally: when the bacteria occurs in clusters it actually resembles a tiny bunch of grapes when observed under the microscope.

What are carbuncles?

When you notice multiple boils appearing on your skin, this means that you may be suffering from a disease called carbuncles. The groups of boils(usually called “clusters”) will commonly have at least one opening with pus dripping on the skin. It is reported that men suffer statistically more often from this abscess than women. What is important to remember is that this condition is highly contagious. It means that if a member of your family is suffering from carbuncles, you should take precautions so not to get infected. Since the main cause of the boils is a bacteria, it is strongly advised to wash your body with antibacterial soaps and attach great importance to general hygiene. Those simple steps should let you feel safe, even if you have a close contact with a contaminated person.

What does a boil look like?

Although those infections are usually small and their dimensions generally don’t excess an average pea size -as you can see in the picture of boil on the right – they can sometimes be as big as a a small apple. One of the boils’ characteristic is that they are able to develop really quickly and since pus which is the liquid filling them is quite contagious within a short time they can join other boils to infect large areas of skin. In such a situation, you should consult your condition with a doctor who will be able to diagnose it just by looking at the boils. However, the general rule when applying boils treatment is that you should ask for a medical help only when boils don’t disappear after one week of home treatment. You shouldn’t also neglect boils which appear on your face or spine as well as vaginal boils, since they can constitute a major danger to your health.

Less common symptoms of boils

In rare cases, while suffering from furuncles, you will also observe the following symptoms: fatigue, fever, worse feeling. Those symptoms are not likely to occur if you have a strong immune system which is able to fight the infection efficiently. However, even the strongest immune systems will not save you from getting infected by the germs causing boils, if you don’t follow the basic hygiene routine which is crucial for preventing not only from boils but other skin conditions as well.