Boils are painful and annoying bumps that form under the skin. Boils usually result from bacterial infections, and they can easily spread if not treated properly. Knowing how to cure boils at home can help avoid infection, and also aid in making the healing process go faster.
How to Cure Boils at Home: 5 Things to Remember
Boils can occur anywhere on the skin. However, they usually appear in areas where skin can rub against itself, or wherever there is heat or friction.
They typically go away on their own, and don’t require any special care to heal. But it’s always a good idea to take extra steps to prevent the boil from getting worse, and to make sure it doesn’t come back.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Keep it clean
In order to avoid infections, it’s important to keep your boil and the surrounding skin clean1. To avoid contamination, avoid touching the boil directly with your hands. If you do need to touch the boil to wash or clean it, make sure that your hands are very clean.
It’s also important to wash your hands with antibacterial hand soap after touching your boil. You should also avoid sharing clothing, towels, or anything else that might have been in contact with your boil; proper hygiene and washing of these articles are also advised.
2. Apply a warm compress
Boils can sometimes be painful. This is because as the boil fills with pus, the pressure it applies on your skin makes it painful. In order to help with the pain, you can apply a warm compress for about 20 minutes2.
You can use a heating pad, bottle, or even a hot and damp towel as a warm compress. Not only does a warm compress help relieve pain, but it also helps the boil drain and heal faster. It is also very important to make sure that you’re using just the right heat because this might cause burns on the treated area.
3. Use antibacterial soap
Antibacterial soap shouldn’t be used every day on your skin. But one important tip on how to cure boils at home is to use antibacterial soap when cleaning your boil.
This is because antibacterial soaps make your skin extra clean, and kill off most bacteria. This also helps prevent contamination, since the pus from boils contain a lot of bacteria which can cause boils to recur or even infect other people.
4. Never squeeze or pop the boil
As tempting as it may seem, never squeeze or pop the boil. This is probably the most important tip on how to cure boils at home.
The reason is that when you pop the boil, you’re exposing it to further infection. The pus inside the boil is also full of bacteria, and it can cause other boils to grow on your skin.
The only time that a boil should be popped is if a doctor or a certified health worker is doing the popping. Never ever do it at home.
5. If it does pop, keep it bandaged
It’s not always possible to prevent the boil from popping. If this happens, you’ll need to keep it bandaged until it heals.
Bandaging your boil helps prevent it from getting infected and causing other complications. Be sure to clean it thoroughly every day, and change the dressing often. This also helps prevent the boil from recurring.
Key Takeaways
If the boil doesn’t heal in a week, or if it keeps coming back, don’t hesitate to consult your doctor. It’s possible that your boil might need special treatment, or you might have to take antibiotics in order to prevent the boil from coming back.
Either way, it’s always a good idea to consult your doctor if you feel that there might be something wrong.
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