Welcome to the Boil Blog.

Do you have a boil? Do you think you may have a boil? Do you know someone who has a boil? Do you want to discuss boils? Look at boils? Or need a place to start researching boils?

You’ve come to the right place.

You can also find information about itchy skin and a few other rather unsavory issues – and how to get rid of them. You’re welcome to share information and helpful tips.

You can see more boil photos on the “Boil Photos” page (link right)

Boil

Boil bursting

See more photos on page “Boil Photos”

Medieval Issues - Boil or Hemorrhoid Treatment

See more medieval miniatures on page “Hemorrhoids in Art”

Filed under: General Info, boil, boil bursting, boils, carbuncle, hemorrhoids, Hidradenitis suppurativa, itchy skin, skin abcess, skin care

Burn Boil, BURN

The end of the line for the Boil. The owner took him to the doctor on April 21 and had him (I believe the boil was male) cut out and the wound cauterized. It’s a pretty deep wound, hopefully the doc got all of the infection scooped out. If not, he’ll have to dig deeper next time. You can’t really tell the debth of the wound by the photo, but it’s about 3/4 inch.

Cauterized Boil Site

Filed under: General Info, abcess, boil, boils, Cauterization, cauterized

The Boil part II: The Return of the Boil

The boil is back! The “dormant” encapsulated boil has been re-activated. Mainly, I suspect, because the owner just couldn’t keep his hands off it. He kept touching, massaging, scratching and poking it, and so it’s become active again.

I’ve taken more photos and will post them on the “Boil Photos” page when I gen the time.

But enough is enough. The owner of the boil has made an (yet another) appointment with his doctor next week. I think it’s time for him to insist on having the boil removed. Thoroughly and for good, this time. If that means invasive measures, so be it. The boil has got to go. I don’t like it – it’s like it’s looking at me with it’s red and yellow little eye ….

UPDATE: The boil is going to go today. The owner is taking it to a dermatology surgeon and he’s gonna take care of it. Once and for all (fingers crossed)

Filed under: General Info, abcess, boil, chronic boil, skin abcess

Chronic Boils (Hidradenitis suppurativa)

Job being afflicted with chronic boils by the Evil One

“Chronic boils” can mean two things:

• A single boil that has become chronic. That means that the boil stays put – in a sort of dormant state- it has become “chronic“. The puss-filled abscess will be encapsulated, not painful but still red and noticeable. I guess that happens sometimes if the boil is not emptied out completely when it bursts. This is no cause for great (or small) alarm. If it’s not placed right on your forehead, you can just kinda’ learn how to live with it. Or, if this is not an option for you, you can talk to your doctor about having it surgically removed.
• Most frequently though, “chronic boils” seems to be the layman term for the skin condition Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), also sometimes referred to as Acne Inversa. It’s a kind of very severe acne thing. And that’s an entirely different thing from having one regular pesky boil that won’t go away. HS seems to manifest itself as large pimple/boil like abscesses in certain areas of the body that won’t quit. If you suspect you’re suffering from HS, you need to see a dermatologist (of course) and you should do your own research and find out as much about the condition as you can. Here’s a few places to start:

First, a discussion about the proper name of the condition:

http://dermatology.cdlib.org/127/commentary/hidradenitis/scheinfeld.html

Next, some photos (warning: real nasty photos):

http://www.dermatlas.org/derm/result.cfm?Diagnosis=63

Some general information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidradenitis

http://dermis.multimedica.de/dermisroot/en/36184/diagnose.htm

http://www.bad.org.uk/public/leaflets/bad_patient_information_gateway_leaflets/hidradenitis/look.asp

http://www.frontiernet.net/~ruthb/HidradenitisSuppurativa.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hidradenitissuppurativa.html

http://www.acneway.com/acne_inversa.html

http://www.hs-usa.org/hidradenitis_suppurativa.htm

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/Current-Treatment-for-Acne-Inversa/show/647465

If you want to start some in-debth research of the topic, you can search PubMed and MedScape. This should keep you occupied for a while – and may make you quite frantic when you hit the article about a possible link between boils and meningitis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

http://search.medscape.com/medscape-search?queryText=hidradenitis%20suppurativa

Remember: Be an informed patient.

Try to find a specialist who is interested in your condition. HS doesn’t seem to be the “sexiest” of skin diseases, so it may be tricky to find someone – but whatever doctor you see should at the very least have heard of the condition.

Good luck to both Beatrice and Cindy.

Filed under: General Info, abcess, acne inversa, boil, boils, chronic boil, chronic boils, Hidradenitis suppurativa

Keep your boil clean

Cleanliness is right next to godliness. You need to keep your boil, the area around the boil, and everything else around you clean. Very clean. This can prevent you from getting more boils. And it can prevent you from spreading your boils around. To other people.  Or animals.  They can get boils too.

Staph germs live on your skin.  That’s OK.  They just live there and don’t do any harm.  But if they get into your skin – typically into a damaged hair follicle – they can cause a boil.

In the beginning stages, a boil looks like a pimple aka a zit.  At this stage, early intervention can, according to Brenda’s comment on the first post, prevent a lot of later discomfort.  But if you’re a first-time boil owner, you won’t know that it’s a boil you’re developing.  You’ll ignore it or think it’s a pimple.

To prevent the staph germs on your skin from infecting more damaged hair follicles on your or – heaven forbid -  other people’s skin, you need to KILL them as best you can.  This is done by keeping clean.

You should go to the pharmacy and purchase some:

• Q-tips
• Alcohol wipes
• Neosporin or other brand antibiotic ointment
• Gauze pads
• Paper tape (to fasten the gauze pads with)
• Large band aids
• Plenty of hand sanitizer
• And 10 bars of antibiotic (germ-killing) soap
• Lots of soft kitchen paper (to dry the area around the boil after washing – do not use your towel)

And don’t peck at the boil. Leave it alone – even if it itches.  Pecking spread germs and damage the skin so they can start a new boil.  Don’t Peck!

Filed under: General Info, boil, boils, hygiene, skin abcess, skin conditions, staphs

Boil popping – just say “NO”

Don’t pop your boil.

Popping your boil can release the staph germs that caused the boil into your bloodstream. That means the staphs will have access to your whole system. You don’t want that. They can make you very sick. Staphs can cause internal boils. You don’t want a boil on your kidneys, do you now? Or your spinal cord? Huh?

Staphs in your bloodstream can  cause SEPSIS (general internal infection – - -  tragically, the Brazilian model Mariana Bridi da Costa recently died from sepsis after first having her hands and feet amputated in an attempt to stop the infection – - – ) and  lots of other  unpleasant and dangerous conditions.

If you’re unlucky, staphs in your bloodstream can make you very dead.

Why risk becoming really really sick just for the “fun” of impressing your buddies by popping your boil? It’s not worth the risk.

Instead:

Wait. Let the boil run its course. Normally, it will empty itself, not with a spectacular “Pop” but with a slow ooze over several days. It that doesn’t happen – or if you can’t stand the wait: Go see your doctor. She may prescribe antibiotics and she may lancet (=pierce) the boil the proper way.

If you have strong urges to pop your boil yourself, watch this U-Tube video until the urge goes away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSQIRSR0RyU

Filed under: General Info, abcess, boil, boil-popping, boils, lancet, sepsis, skin conditions, staph

Soild Boil Information

Get the facts about your boil before you start playing with it:

http://www.medicinenet.com/boils/article.htm

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/boils/article_em.htm

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/boils

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boil

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/boils-and-carbuncles/DS00466

http://www.boilsinfo.com/contagious.html Yes, boils are contagious!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbuncle That’s the boil’s bigger and badder brother. You don’t want one of those.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staphylococcus_aureus The Staphylococcus aureus is the casue of all the misery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSQIRSR0RyU Video: Guy popping boil. Viewer discretion advised

Filed under: General Info, abcess, boil, boils, carbuncle, skin conditions