Glossary of Health Terms

Boils are round, red, painful, pus-filled bumps on the skin that are caused by a bacteria infection. When a staphylococcus aureus (staph) infection infects a hair follicle it develops deep in the root of the follicle and works its way to the skin's surface, forming a boil. Most people will notice mild pain, itching, and swelling at first. Usually within a day the boil becomes red and begins to fill with puss and becomes increasingly painful.

When a boil first begins to develop, it is small, red, and tender. After a few days the boil begins to collect pus, which is actually a mass of white blood cells that your body's immune system has sent to fight the infection. The center of the boil begins to take on a whitish color.

Skin boils are very common and usually appear on the scalp, face, underarms or buttocks. Although most people with boils are otherwise healthy, there can be several reasons why you have developed a boil. Reasons your body was too weak to fight the staph infection before it formed a boil include stress, illness, decreased immunity, toxicity, allergy, poor nutrition, diabetes or thyroid imbalance. Very rarely is a boil caused by poor hygiene. In fact, if you are susceptible, you can develop a boil no matter how hygienic you may be.

Boils are exceptionally contagious. If the pus leaks from the boil it can spread to nearby skin and cause more boils to form. Pus can also enter the blood stream and spread the infection to other parts of the body. Multiple boils are called carbuncles. Carbuncles, on top of being extremely painful, usually require medical attention. This is why it is exceedingly important to treat a boil as soon as it appears; not only will proper treatment prevent a boil from spreading or becoming worse, it can also help your body fight the infection quicker and end your suffering faster.

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