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Overview
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Conditions
Skin conditions
Skin infection
Carbuncle

Carbuncle

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A deep type of skin infection referred to as a "boil," that often requires incision and drainage or oral antibiotics to eliminate.

Dr. Geoffrey Rutledge reviewed this

39 year experience in Internal Medicine

Is a type of:

Skin infection

How long it usually lasts:

Short-term (lasts days to weeks)

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 cured with medical treatment

How is it usually diagnosed?

Self-diagnosable

Symptoms

Pimples
Fever
Skin swelling
Raised red skin lesions
Skin nodules
Load more

Medications

Ratings show how effective doctors think these medications are at treating Carbuncle
Trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole
4
8 reviews
Doxycycline
3.4
14 reviews
Clindamycin phosphate
3.2
14 reviews
Cephalexin
3.1
7 reviews
Vancomycin
3.1
7 reviews
Load more

Procedures

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

Surgery

Incision and drainage
3.9
8 reviews

Tests

Complete blood count
Wound or tissue culture

Related questions

A 38-year old asked:

What is a carbuncle?

1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in

A 44-year old asked:

How does a carbuncle look?

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

A 37-year old asked:

Has everyone had a carbuncle?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 19-year old female asked:

How long do carbuncles drain for?

2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in

A 39-year old asked:

How do a furuncle and a carbuncle differ?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 37-year old asked:

Should you use drawing ointment on a carbuncle?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 28-year old asked:

What's the most effective way to treat carbuncle?

3 doctor answers • 12 doctors weighed in

A 30-year old asked:

What exactly is a carbuncle and how do you treat it?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 44-year old asked:

What's the difference between herpes and carbuncles?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 34-year old asked:

I've heard different things. What exactly is carbuncle?

3 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in

A 37-year old asked:

What are the most effective home remedies for carbuncle?

2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

A female asked:

What causes reoccurring carbuncles? Is it possible for carbuncles to be indicative of more serious underlying medical conditions?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 47-year old asked:

What can I use to drain a carbuncle?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 32-year old asked:

What is the difference between a carbuncle and a cyst?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 31-year old asked:

Can you have carbuncle with no symptoms? What are the usual symptoms?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 36-year old asked:

My carbuncle seems to have a string like worm thing. Should I be worried?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 25-year old female asked:

I would like to know how I can stop recurrent boils (carbuncles) on my thighs ?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 28-year old female asked:

Had 2 separate carbuncles a yr ago, eventually they healed on their own. I'm just learning that is what I had. Should I be concerned I wasn't treated?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A female asked:

What is the difference between a furuncle and carbuncle boil? I have heard of both of these sorts of boils and never been able to tell what makes them different. What are the defining differences between furuncle boils and carbuncle boils?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 43-year old asked:

Are carbuncles and boils sexually transmitted ?

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

A 36-year old asked:

What is the difference between a boil and carbuncle?

1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

A 32-year old asked:

What is the cause of a carbuncle in the vagina?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 44-year old asked:

Is a boil also called a carbuncle?

2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

A 34-year old asked:

When is a pimple called a carbuncle?

1 doctor answer • 11 doctors weighed in

A 27-year old female asked:

What should my boyfriend do about his carbuncle cysts or sebaceous cysts? He has had it removed twice already and it keeps recurring.

2 doctor answers • 2 doctors weighed in

A female asked:

Are carbuncles only caused by ingrown hairs? I used to get carbuncles from ingrown hairs but are those the only things that can cause a carbuncle?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 20-year old male asked:

What is the different bet. Carbuncle and furuncle as morphology of acute infl. Of hair follicles ?

1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

A 35-year old female asked:

I got a carbuncle when i was in asia 2 years ago. I still have the scar. What's the likelihood of getting another one? Can i still donate blood?

2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in

A 20-year old male asked:

Im a male with what Im positive to be a urethral carcuncle but it only shows up when Im erect or after Ive been erect for a period of time is this a urethral carbuncle and is it normal for them to show up only when erect or post erection?

1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

A 39-year old asked:

How can I het rid of a stubbon boil that turned into a carbuncle on my scalp without surgery?

3 doctor answers • 9 doctors weighed in

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