Ways To Treat Skin Abscess

As if the fact that they are extremely painful is not enough, boils or skin abscesses can erupt in any part of the body and may also spread to other parts of the body. Many of them erupt on the face, making it very difficult for us even to smile! They often leave behind a mark and stay for more than a few days. Most of the times, one has to consult a physician for a boil, who is most likely to cut open the boil, which is extremely painful and is bound to hurt. However, there are some other ways to get rid of this abscess; they may not be as quick as cutting and drainage, which must never be tried at home. Here are some ways to treat skin abscess.

 

How To Treat Skin Abscess Effectively 

Here are some ways in which you can get rid of skin abscess or boils. Some of these methods might be painful, but they are equally effective. The choice, at the end of the day, rests in your hand.

 

Heat Compression 

Heat is the most effective way to get rid of skin abscess and this method can be tried at home too. This treatment can be carried out in two ways – either by soaking the abscess or boil in warm water for about half an hour or by applying hot compress to the area three to four times a day, especially if it is impractical to keep the boil in water. Applying heat to the boil will result in improved circulation of blood and reduce infection due to increase in the count of white blood cells in the affected area, which are known to fight off infection of any kind. After the infection has been treated, the physical boil will also disappear very soon. 

 

If, even after applying heat as treatment, the boil does not heal or the pain becomes unbearable, you may have to see the physician. The most preferred course the physician will resort to is drain all the infection out of the boil by making a cut or lance on the boil and allow the pus to flow out. It is advisable that you must never try to use this method at home because you might actually sever a blood vessel or cause the infection to spread. In most of the cases boils will drain on their own after they have been soaked, however, many boils have several pockets of infection that will have to be drained before healing can occur.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are prescribed in case the skin around the abscess is also infected or if the abscess is not healing on its own, for any reason. If the abscess has healed, you may skip the antibiotics, because they may show side effects if taken without prescription. Also they take a long time to penetrate the affected area. They are often cited as the last resort.