A skin abscess is a bump on the skin that appears within or below the skin’s surface that is filled with pus, bacteria, debris and develops because of an infection or because of a foreign material under the skin. An abscess is characteristically tender to the touch and appears swollen and warm with the surrounding skin usually colored pinkish or reddish.
Abscesses can show up anywhere in the body but are commonly found in places like the armpit, areas around the anus and vagina, the base of the spine, around a tooth, and in the groin area.
What causes a skin abscess?
Abscesses are formed when bacteria enter the body through a break in the skin. Abscesses form in response to these infections as your body’s defenses tries to kill the invading microorganism in your body with your inflammatory response, hence why they are filled with pus. An obstruction in a sweat or oil gland or a hair follicle can also trigger abscesses.
People with a weakened immune system are more prone to abscesses because their bodies cannot effectively fight infections. Other causes also include:
- Chronic steroid therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- AIDS
- Serious burns
- Sickle cell disease
- Peripheral vascular disorders
- Crohn’s disease
- Ulcerative colitis
- Severe traumatic injuries
- IV drug abuse
- Alcoholism
Exposure to a dirty environment or exposure to people with certain skin infections, poor hygiene, and poor circulation can also contribute to the risk factor of developing skin abscesses.
Signs and symptoms
- The development of a bump on your skin that is painful, red in color, appears swollen and is warm to the touch.
Most abscesses will continue to worsen over time if not given treatment with proper incision and drainage, it can spread into deeper tissues under the skin and may even end up in the bloodstream. Once this happens, you may develop a fever and begin to feel ill.
Symptoms such as fever, increasing pain, nausea, vomiting and increasing skin redness may arise if the infection spreads.
Home remedies
- If the abscess is small, apply warm compresses to the area for about thirty minutes, repeating these 4 times a day may help.
- Once the boil starts to drain, it should heal up on its own but may take a few weeks to do so.
- Do not try to burst or drain the abscess by placing pressure on it as it can cause infected material into deeper tissues.
- Do not drive in a needle or any sharp tool as it may cause damage to the blood vessel beneath it or allow the infection to spread to deeper tissue.
FACT CHECK
https://www.healthline.com/symptom/skin-abscess
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/abscess#1
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/qa/what-is-a-skin-abscess