This information is approved and/or reviewed by U-M Health System providers but it is not a tool for self-diagnosis or a substitute for medical treatment. You should speak to your physician or make an appointment to be seen if you have questions or concerns about this information or your medical condition. Exención de responsabilidad en Español | Complete disclaimer
A boil is a tender, red lump in the skin. It is painful even when not being touched. Boils are usually 1/2 to 1 inch across.
Boils are caused by a bacterial infection of a hair root or skin pore. The bacteria that cause boils are called Staphylococcus (also called staph bacteria).
Without treatment, the body will fight off the infection. After about a week, the center of the boil becomes soft and mushy (filled with pus). The skin over the boil then develops a pimple or becomes thin and pale. The boil is now ready for draining. Without lancing, it will drain by itself in 3 or 4 days. Until it drains, a boil is extremely painful.
Boils heal faster and are less likely to recur if your child receives an antibiotic that kills staph bacteria.
Your child's antibiotic is __________________________. Your child's dosage is _________ given _______ times a day for _______ days.
Until the boil comes to a head or becomes soft, apply warm compresses 3 times a day for 20 minutes. When the boil is ready, contact your child's healthcare provider. It's better not to open a boil on your own child because it is a very painful procedure.
Once opened, the boil will drain pus for 2 or 3 days and then heal. Since the pus is contagious, the boil must be covered by a large 4 x 4 inch gauze bandage and tape. Change this bandage and wash the area with an antiseptic soap 3 times a day.
Boils can come back. The staph bacteria on the skin can be decreased by showering and washing the hair daily with an antibacterial soap. Showers are preferred because during a bath bacteria are just moved to other parts of the skin.
The pus in boils is contagious. Make sure that other people in your family do not use your child's towel or washcloth. Wash any clothes, towels, or sheets that are contaminated with drainage from the boils with Lysol. Any bandages with pus on them should be carefully thrown away.
Sometimes friends or relatives may advise you to squeeze a boil until you get the core out. The pus in a boil will come out easily if the opening is large enough. Squeezing is not only very painful but also carries the risk that bacteria will be forced into the bloodstream. Squeezing can also cause other boils in the same area. Squeezing boils on the face is dangerous.
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