Furuncles Definition Symptoms and Treatment

What is furunculosis and what is the cause of Furunculosis?

Furunculosis is an acute common bacterial infection of the hair follicle affecting teenagers and adolesants, it is characterized by furuncles or painful perifollicular inflammatory nodules with accumulation of pus and necrotic tissue. It is most commonly caused by bacterial infections such as infections caused by staphylococci

What is a Furuncle infection and what is the difference between a carbuncle and Furuncle?

A furuncle (boil) is a painful deep folliculitis that forms around a hair follicle and leads to abscess formation with accumulation of pus and necrotic tissue (a swollen painful bump under the skin). A carbuncle is a collection of furuncles that develop under the epidermis (in the dermis). Moreover, a carbuncle can grow to a size of 3-10 cm

The disease is widespread in crowded and dirty urban areas where it is common among poor teenagers living there

How long does a boil take to heal?

Furuncles need to open to allow the pus to drain out in order to heal; However, boils may heal on their own after a period ranging from two days to three weeks

Do boils ever go away on their own?

In most cases, boils swell to an enormous size as pus builds up, swollen boils will eventually burst, allowing the pus to drain out and leaving your skin to heal

A furuncle can become large and cause severe pain as pus builds up

Are boils contagious to others?

The disease may develop among contacts of patients infected with virulent bacterial strains because the bacteria that cause boils are contagious

Symptoms

What are the most common places for boils?

Furuncles often appear on the face, neck, breasts, and less commonly on the buttocks. They can be very painful if they appear on the nose, ear, or fingers

How large can a boil get

Initial nodules may grow to 5-30 mm, furuncles may discharge pus and often a core of necrotic material from its center before healing. Furuncles may recur, and the acute disease may develop into a chronic one

What are the symptoms of boils?

Symptoms and signs of a Boil usually include:

1. A firm red bump that can either be filled with pus, fluid, blood, or other material
2. Erythema (redness) of skin around the boil
3. The skin around the boil becomes painful, swollen, and warm to touch. More furuncles may appear around the original one
4. Pus filled bump. The pus-filled bumps may also spontaneously drain pus
5. Lymphadenopathy, lymph nodes may become swollen
6. Low-grade fever
7. Generally feeling unwell

Further testing

Further testing, such as taking a skin swab (abscess pus, abscess swab, deep-seated pus swab) or a blood test, may be necessary to determine the antibiotic appropriate to your infection

It is advised to collect culture samples (pus specimen) for further evaluation, testing, and identification in immune-suppressed patients suffering from a single furuncle or boil, especially if the furuncle is located on the nose. The specimen (a swab of one or more pustules) will usually be collected by a healthcare professional

Treatment

How do you treat boils?

Furuncles are best treated by:

1. Incision and drainage
2. Application of liquid soap containing Chlorhexidine gluconate with isopropyl alcohol
3. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Ibuprofen (MOTRIN®, Advil®, Nurofen) are often used to relieve any pain caused by the furuncle. Take 1,200 mg to 3,200 mg of ibuprofen orally per day in divided doses (800 mg per dose) if your boil is painful. The usual adult dose for pain is 200 mg to 400 mg of ibuprofen orally, every 4 to 6 hours
4. A narrow-spectrum antibiotic is given for 5 to 10 days, choices include TMP/SMX (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) 160/800 mg twice daily, clindamycin 300 to 600 mg orally three times a day, and minocycline or doxycycline 100 mg twice daily

Intermittent hot compresses therapy is optimal for the treatment of a single furuncle, this treatment will be required to reduce the lesion size and allow the boil to drain spontaneously. Apply a warm, moist towelette or washcloth to the furuncle for 10-20 minutes three to four times a day, and repeat until all boils are healed

Patients with fever, carbuncles, or multiple abscesses are given 10 days of antibiotic therapy with TMP/SMX (320/1,600 mg twice daily) and rifampin 300 mg twice daily

When the furuncle starts draining, wash the affected skin area with an antibacterial soap until all the pus is gone and clean the area with rubbing alcohol

What antibiotics are used to treat boils?

Systemic antibiotics are commonly prescribed for patients with a furuncle in the nose and for patients with multiple furuncles. Oral antibiotics such as cloxacillin or cephalexin 250 to 500 mg orally four times a day (qid) for 7-14 days are indicated

In its shortest format, treatment of recurrent furuncles requires 21 to 60 days of systemic antibiotic therapy with rifampin (300 mg bid) and a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, like nafcillin, vancomycin, or oxacillin; however, patients suffering from recurrent furunculosis should be evaluated for predisposing factors and underlying diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and nasal carriage of s. aureus

What can be done to prevent boils and how do you prevent skin boils?

Maintain good personal hygiene and use antibacterial soaps regularly to prevent bacteria from building up on the skin. Antimicrobial soaps are more effective than regular soap and are safe for long-term use. Take a shower twice a day to keep your skin and hair clean

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, washing hands regularly with antibacterial soaps is necessary to prevent skin boils

Avoid sharing personal items that come into contact with the skin, such as towels, washcloths, razors, clothing, uniforms

Avoid contact with someone else’s infected site, wounds or bandages

Change bed sheets, pillowcases, and blankets every day and carefully wash bed linens, sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, blankets, clothes, and towels of a family member who is infected with boils

Treat minor skin wounds

Use topical antiseptics, creams, ointments, or soaps containing Chloroxylenol 3% for infection prophylaxis

Take a multivitamin and multimineral supplement

Clean and apply topical antibiotic ointments to the affected area

Verified by: Dr.Diab (September 13, 2020)

Citation: Dr.Diab. (September 13, 2020). Furuncles Definition Symptoms and Treatment. Medcoi Journal of Medicine, 16(2). urn:medcoi:article15635.