Skin Abscess

A Skin Abscess is also called as a boil. Initially, there is a soft and ruddy area on the skin. Gradually, this area changes to a hard and tough one. Finally, the part at the center of this region becomes soft. Body dispatches white blood cells from the blood flow to this center to fight and eliminate the infection in this region. Such a mixture of white blood cells, proteins and bacteria is termed as "pus". Eventually, this pus creates a head. The pus can drain out through the skin's surface or can be surgically removed.

Types of Skin Abscess
There are four types of boils as follows:

1 - Hidradenitis suppurativa
The sweat glands in the groin region or under the arm pits are locally inflamed. So, multiple boils are formed. The use of antibiotics is futile. The relevant sweat glands have to be removed surgically.

2 – Cystic acne
The oil ducts are choked and hence infected. This generally happens during teenage and on the face.

3 – Pilonidal cyst
The folds of the buttocks is the area of infection. The base of the region of the skin where the hair follicles grow shows up minute areas of infection. Due to direct pressure, this area becomes very tender and painful. It becomes impossible to sit comfortably. This is generally caused by prolonged sitting.

4 – Carbuncle
This is also called as a Furuncle. There are one or several openings on the skin. The person may suffer from fever or chills. The causative agent is a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus.

Causes

• occlusion and infection of sweat glands
• entrance and entrapment of a splinter or some foreign object in the skin
• ingrown hair
• infection of a break in the skin due to bacteria

Treatment

Whenever a boil is noticed, start the treatment at home. Initially, apply heat with the aid of hot packs and hot soaks. Due to the heat, blood circulation in the area increases. More white blood cells and antibodies are dispatched to the region of infection. This enables the body to combat the infection better naturally. When the skin abscess is tiny and firm, opening and draining it will not prove useful. Only, when the boil forms a head, it must be inferred that the time is apt to drain it. Smaller boils drain on their own. For larger boils, approach a healthcare practitioner to lance it. Such boils may have many cavities, containing pus, that have to be drained. If the surrounding skin is infected by bacteria, the physician may recommend antibiotics. However, it is found that antibiotics cannot pass through the surrounding wall of a skin abscess and some more surgical drainage is necessary.

If a person develops a skin abscess and has diabetes or an illness like cancer or rheumatoid arthritis that weakens the immune system, then he must accost a healthcare practitioner quickly. Medicines like prednisone suppress the immune system and transform a simple boil to a complex one. If formation of a boil is accompanied by fever, like in a "pilonidal cyst", then urgent drainage and packing with gauze is done by the practitioner. Any boil that does not improve with time and causes pain must be under the supervision of a practitioner.

Prevention

• plastics surgical repair in case of hidradenitis suppurativa
• medicines like isotretinoin for cystic acne
• soap and hot water cleaning and drying for pilonidal cysts. Also, application of direct pressure must be avoided
• surgical removal of outer shell of the cyst in pilonidal cysts
• use of abrasive brush like loufa brush under a shower, to break the oil chokes under the arms or near the thighs
• use of antibacterial soaps to decimate bacteria
• use of cleansers like pHisoderm to further annihilate bacteria, if prescribed by a healthcare practitioner