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A member asked:
What's the difference between a boil or and zit/pimple?
A doctor has provided 1 answer
Size mostly: A zit/pimple is a hair follicle filled with oil and dead skin cells and bacteria. But it is just one hair follicle. An abscess (a boil) is usually much larger, it starts as one hair follicle but then the bacterial infection spreads to a much larger area (the size of a nickel to the size of an egg). Boils need medical attention. They need to be lanced and you might need antibiotics.
Answered 9/20/2017
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