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Conditions
Boil

Boil

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A boil is an infected epidermoid cyst of the skin. Usually related to sebaceous glands, which secrete waxy/oily lubricant for each hair follicle.

Dr. Jay Stylman reviewed this

40 year experience in General Surgery

Is a type of:

Bacterial skin infection • Abscess • Infection

How long it usually lasts:

Medium-term (lasts weeks to months)

How common it is:

Common
Baby
0-2
Common
Preteen
6-13
Very common
Teenager
14-18
Very common
Young adult
19-40
Very common
Middle-aged adult
41-60
Very common

How it can usually be treated?

Can be managed without a doctor visit

How is it usually diagnosed?

Self-diagnosable

Body locations

Skin

Symptoms

Chills
Fever
Soft tissue swelling
Fever, mild (99.0 F - 100.9 F)
Skin redness or irritation
Load more

Medications

Ratings show how effective doctors think these medications are at treating Boil
Cephalexin
3.3
8 reviews
Bactrim
Keflex
Doxycycline
Vancomycin
Load more

Procedures

Ratings show how effective doctors think these procedures are at treating Boil

Surgery

Incision and drainage

Other treatments

Warm compresses

Tests

Blood culture
Comprehensive metabolic panel
Complete blood count
Wound or tissue culture

Risk factors

Personal

Injection drug use
Immunosuppression
Recent sore throat
Recent dental procedure

Related questions

A 24-year old male asked:

How to cure boils?

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

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Can boils be painless?

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

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How can boil be treated?

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Boils recurrent on body?

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What do boils look like?

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How to stop shaving boils?

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How to use garlic on boils?

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How do you srink hard boils?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

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How long before boils go away?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

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Is boil a sign of some disease?

2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

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Why does boil take so l9ng to go.

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

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Can you tell me anything about boils?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 43-year old asked:

What is the best way to cure boil asap?

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What's the white stuff inside of boils?

1 doctor answer • 5 doctors weighed in

A 29-year old male asked:

What is the effective medicine for boil?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 28-year old asked:

Should I still go to work if I have boil?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 28-year old female asked:

I often have a boils how can i cured them?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 48-year old asked:

Can boil tissue harden after being popped?

1 doctor answer • 5 doctors weighed in

A 46-year old female asked:

What can be causing frequent boils to occur?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 28-year old male asked:

What is the definition or description of: boil?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 35-year old female asked:

How can I treat a popped boil that has a whole?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

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What medication can be thought of recurrent boils?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 23-year old asked:

What does boil mean? Can it indicate something bad?

2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

A 33-year old female asked:

Why does diabetes1 people sometimes develop boil in their body?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 33-year old female asked:

I have been getting painful boils lately all over my body. What could this mean?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 19-year old female asked:

How can I stop boils from occuring again and again? I am so very clean with myself.

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 19-year old female asked:

I always have severe boils...please whats the best way to go about it....been having them since 2011?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 20-year old male asked:

I am having boils all over my body one after the other.. What may the case ? And how can I cure them?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

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