Home Treatment of a Boil
What is the best home treatment of a boil?
There are various schools of thought on whether it is wise to treat a skin boil at home, or whether it is best to seek medical advice. As always, using common sense is the best place to start, and if there are complications such as fever, chills, multiple boils, or if the boil is on the face, head or neck, seeking medical attention quickly, is advised.
As a nurse in my previous career, I saw quite a few home treatments gone wrong. It is important to follow the instructions I’ve listed below carefully, and see your doctor if you are at all unsure.
If you would like a natural safe way to lessen the symptoms associated with boils, I recommend you have a look at this site: Natural Treatment for Boils. It uses a type of natural treatment that I have used for many years with great success. I go into a little more detail about it in this post: Treating Boils
One important caution in the home treatment of a boil is: Never burst or squeeze a boil.
The reason is that a skin boil contains a large amount of highly infected fluid. Squeezing a boil will actually spread the infection and make it worse.
Having said that, if you are wanting a home treatment for a boil, here are some suggested steps:
Steps for Home Treatment of a Boil
1. Apply a warm compress. Warm, moist heat increases blood flow to the area, which may help “draw” the skin boil and bring it to a head and speed up healing. Apply for 20-30 minutes, 3 times a day.
2. Once the skin boil has come to a head, it will usually burst on its own and drain.
3. Once the boil bursts, apply a saline solution to draw out the pus and fluid and to dry it out. You can purchase a saline solution, or mix your own with 250ml (1/2 pint) hot water and 1 teaspoon of salt.
4. Keep the area clean by washing with an antibacterial soap and water. This is especially important after the skin boil has started to drain. During home treatment of a boil, it is important to keep the skin area clean and dry. Cover the skin with a clean, dry dressing, between treatments.
5. An antibacterial ointment can also be helpful during the home treatment of a boil. The ointment can help kill any bacteria both inside the boil and on the skin.
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