Seek treatment: If it is already the size of a quarter and very red and very painful you may well have an abscess. The longer you wait to try to get it to drain the larger it will get. The infection can spread both locally and enter your blood in the meantime. Furthermore, the longer you wait, if it does not drain on its own you will need a larger incision, have more discomfort and require a longer healing time.
Answered 10/3/2016
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Soaks then drainage: At first boils are best treated with frequent warm soaks. Antibiotics are useful only if started very early. Once the abscess becomes "fluctuant" (feels like there's fluid inside), it needs to be drained, preferrably by a clinician, so it can be completely drained and then packed with gauze. If you do it yourself, it could close from the outside and the pus could reaccumulate.
Answered 10/2/2016
5.7k views
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