Home Care For Boils
October 16, 2009
Boils are pus filled bumps that develop underneath the skin. Boil is also known as furuncle. It is a type of infection of the hair follicle. Boils can appear anywhere on the skin where hairs are present. Usually they occur on the face, armpit, thighs, neck and buttock.
Staphylococcus aureus or the straph bacteria infect the hair follicles, causing infection. The bacteria usually enter the skin through a break in the skin, such as scratch or cut.
As soon the straph bacteria infect the hair follicles, neutrophils, which are a type of white blood cell, rush to kill the bacteria present in the infected hair follicles. This causes inflammation of the hair follicle and formation of pus, causing boils to appear underneath the skin.
The pus present in the boil comprises of dead skin cells, old neutrophils and the bacteria. Generally, boils heal easily. However, sometimes it can cause complications such as sepsis or blood poisoning. This occurs if the straph bacteria enter the bloodstream. If left untreated, sepsis can lead to death.
Boils could heal naturally within a few weeks. With proper remedies and medication, you can accelerate the healing process. However, it is advisable to visit your physician if you have large painful boils that have not healed within two weeks.
Boils accompanied by fever, appearance of red lines around the boil and frequent boils need immediate medical attention. You should not try to squeeze the boil and drain the pus on your own. This would only help to spread the infection further.
Frequent hot water compress helps to reduce the symptoms and pain. You can dip a cloth in warm saline water and apply it over the boil for at least 10 minutes. To speed the healing process, you should apply hot compress about 8 to 10 times each day. You can apply tea tree oil on the boil.
Tea tree oil is a natural antibiotic and antiseptic that helps to heal the infection. To heal the boil you should increase consumption of fibers, vitamin A and zinc rich foods. To remove the toxins from your body, you should drink plenty of water.
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