Remedial treatment methods
Boils, also known as skin abscesses, are painful reddish lumps on the skin that will eventually develop a head filled with pus. The pus is composed of bacteria and lymphocytes or white blood cells that are responsible for fighting the infection. A boil is a kind of skin infection usually in the hair follicles or when the oil gland is blocked. It usually takes 14 days for a boil to heal on its own.
After the pus comes out as the boil matures, it will dry up and leave a small scar. Treatment for boils can be done at home. But depending on the severity of the boils, it can be treated through medications and surgical intervention.
Home treatment
You can take care of your boils at home. But this is only applicable when your boils are small. There are many natural remedies you can make. For example, a paste of ground bark of neem tree or castor tree can be applied to the boil. Garlic and ginger are also used to treat boils.
Also, the boil should not be pricked. The pus is highly contagious and it will not help cure the boil at all. The boil will drain itself. Applying warm compress can help. Once the pus oozes out, it is important to wash the affected area with anti-bacterial soap.
Diet Treatment for Boils
There are foods that can help treat boils. You need to eat food rich in fiber. You have to drink plenty of water. Staphylococci thrive in sweets so you should avoid eating foods with high sugar content. It is also important that you eat foods rich in Zinc as it helps heal the skin faster.
Vitamin C is also needed to boost your immune system to fight the infection. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. They have antioxidant properties that can protect you from staph infections.
Medical Treatment
Boils can get worse may grow as big as a golf ball. A person may experience fever, muscle pain, and fatigue. You may be asked to undergo a blood test called complete blood count (CBC) and urinalysis to check how bad the bacterial infection is.
The doctor then prescribes you antibiotics as treatment for boils. This medication kills the bacteria. You may take it orally and another medication will be prescribed to be applied on the boil itself. Fever is treated separately with antipyretics such as aspirin.
Surgical Treatment
In cases of severe boil formation, surgical intervention as treatment for boils may be needed. Boils can grow large and may develop deep into the skin. When that happens, your doctor may need to make an incision using a scalpel to drain the pus. This is done using local anesthesia.
This is already considered as a minor surgical procedure. But if the infection is really deep, the doctor usually puts gauze inside the incision to allow the pus to drain. The gauze will be removed usually in a matter of 2 days.
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