How To Get Rid Of Boils | Dermatologist Tips

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[leejc]

I started getting boils on my butt and it was because I joined a new gym with limited shower facilities and Instead of showering right away I walked home in my sweaty gym clothes for 20 minutes then showered at home. Now I do a quick shower at the gym and change into clean clothes before walking home then shower again and no more boils!!

[claudiavaldes]

I healed my very large carbuncle with Castor oil applied to a cotton pad and placed the pad directly onto your boil…less than 24 hours and it opened and began to ooze…I kept solving the castor oil as mentioned above and in 5 days the boil healed without any scaring.

[thoughtsofamisfit]

My son had a boil on his hip when he was 4… the next day he developed a fever and I took him to his doctor and he had MRSA. His doctor said that if I waited until the next day (as my mom suggested I do), my son might have been hospitalized and it could have likely been lethal… it had to be drained and all the damaged tissue scraped out for the culture and to try to remove as much infection as possible because it was so close to his actual hip joint… his doctor told me that it was so so close to being something that could have caused a life altering/life ending situation… all from what originally seemed like irritation from the elastic in his underwear… I cried all the way home after that visit… heck, my son is 16 now yet it still makes me cry thinking about it.

So take boils very very seriously if you or a loved one has them. It’s not something to mess with.

[marylawman]

I've had a couple of boils in my life and I will never forget how painful they were. Warm compresses helped a little. Appreciate these tips and I know they will be helpful to anyone currently dealing with one. Happy Tuesday, Dr Dray! I hope you have a tranquil evening. ❤

[convenienceandpracticality]

My daughter used to get it in her diaper area all the time. I would change her diaper right away to try to avoid the boils but to no avail. She was so prone. Later we found out she has a a skin condition that disrupts her skin barrier - ichthyosis. Once she was out of diapers she never had another boil, but it was so scary all the time. I was always so stressed about watching for these boils. I used a wet paper towel (so I can just throw it away afterwards) then I put a heating pad on, but put a ziplock bag between the two to protect the heating pad. That worked really well for her. Once the boil drained I cleaned with iodine and put bactroban on with a waterproof bandaid until it completely healed.

[paularovas]

Just had a surgery done to drain my huge 50 mm boil. I left it to grow 1 and half week but as soon doctor seen me they book me next day for operation. My advice please see the doctors at the first signs, don't risk the infection to spread and threathen your life.
Thank you doctor.

[christinamurray]

my younger brother had a large boil once on his thigh. My father took a glass bottle with a narrow opening, heated up the bottle by submerging it in really hot water bath, took it out and flipped it upside down over the boil. As the air inside cooled down, it produced a vacuum which then drew out the pus from his boil. Never heard him scream from pain so badly (I assume because of the pressure being put on the boil itself to maintain an airtight seal).

[sailingseaofstars]

Thank you my husband has this and has since he was young. He had a close call.with cellulitis a couple.of.years ago. I appreciate this.

[centaurs]

I had a large boil on my arm as a child that I hid from my mother and everyone because I wanted to be in a ballet recital. I developed a high fever and ended up in the hospital on IV antibiotics for sepsis! I was so upset I missed the recital.

[javaskull]

My late husband had skin that had always been prone to acne and cysts, but in his later years he began getting large areas of his skin infected with large carbuncles. I think he was more vulnerable to infections because his diabetes was not well controlled.

[isabellep]

Compress on a make-up cotton pad, or paper towel, that you can throw away makes things easier and safe. I know these aren’t environmentally friendly but this helped me with doing compresses 3-4 times a day. Also I added a tiny bit of salt in my water. I thought that it would make it work better. Don’t know exactly but it didn’t hurt.

[lynzmorgan]

I thought it was just acne until it got larger and more painful. I started doing epson salt baths every night and I did warm compressed a few times throughout the day. I found it most helpful to get a few sheets of paper towel and get it wet with hot water and apply to the area and then use a dry washcloth over it so I didn’t get everything wet. Mine was on my butt. I also applied over the counter antibiotic cream. When I got out of the bath the other night the boil popped on its own. I just wiped it off and put some gauze over it to let it drain. Woke up and it was a lot better. I did a compress again and continued to put the antibiotic cream and it has been healing well.

[JohnHei-zxrk]

Love your content, Dr. Dray! I am surprised, however, that you did not mention the possibility of hidradenitis suppurativa for certain symptoms/recurrences of supposed boils. I am aware that having a boil does not mean that you have hidradenitis suppurativa, however, I think it is important to mention that this is a possibility if you have recurring boils in the underarms, groin, buttocks, or breast areas to name a few. For those that have experienced such symptoms, it is certainly worth mentioning that to your health care professional for further evaluation.

[kathleen]

Dr Dray, you are such a good communicator of such valuable information!

[lynnehill]

I remember stepping on a rusty nail as a child. My mother used a bread poultice on the wound. This was in 60s, I healed in a week and no need to see a Doctor. 😊

[anniedesaulniers]

Thank you so much for this video. My son used to have these boils on his knees all the time (from like 3 to 10 years old). Btw, I am a clean obsessed person; washing my floors everyday when he was on all fours, bathrooms, etc., and he ALWAYS took a bath and/or shower every single day. I've been asking everywhere how to avoid them with no satisfying answers, even by health care providers (also a dermatologist) ! He now has scars caused by these boils on his knees, and stopped having them. He is 12 years old now, and I am now stressed out he'll develop bad acné... ? I didn't have acné but my son's dad did, AND used to have these boils on his knees too, my mother-in-law told me... I'm trying to purchase that bottle right now, hope I can find it in Canada.

[advildeity]

Hi Dr. Dray, if your skin is colonized with staphylococcus aureus, could that also contribute to acne or pimples?

[essy]

Awesome and informative as always. I am an RN, and I learn a lot from you.

[trishpugelli]

how do you feel about drawing salves? I am 68 and have got boils all my life and still do, just like my dad use to. He actually went to Stanford in San Francisco where they got some of the puss from a boil, developed a shot that he had to go in for every week i believe and never got another boil ever. But drawing salves i believe work great. Just wanted your opinion

[flavialm]

I used to have it in the backs of my thighs when I was a child. My grandma did exactly this with the warm water compresses. I stop having it when I grew up.