Boils And Stye Treatment
Boils are skin infections starting in an oil gland or hair follicle. The skin in the infected area may become red before developing a tender lump. The lump may start turning white after 4 – 7 days as pus formation occurs under the skin.
Neck, face, shoulders, buttocks, and armpits are the most common places for boils to appear. Boils forming on the eyelid are called stye. Several boils appearing in a group result in a more serious type of infection called a carbuncle. Most boils occur due to a germ called staphylococcal bacteria.
Texas Surgical Dermatology, led by board certified dermatologist Dr. Tri H. Nugyen, provides reliable and judicious skin care procedures to patients in Houston, Katy, Spring, The Woodlands, Texas, and surrounding communities.
Boil Symptoms
Boils usually start as red, painful, and hard lumps that are half an inch in size. The lump, over the course of the next few days, may become larger, softer, and more painful. A pocket of pus may form on top of the boil. These are a few signs of severe infection:
- The skin around the boil may turn painful, red, swollen, and warm after becoming infected
- More boils may develop around the original one
- Lymph nodes may swell
- Fever may develop
Treating Boils Medically
Additional blood tests may need to be performed if there are concerns about the infection. In case of a severe infection, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. Culture may be performed for determining the type of infection causing bacteria.
What is Stye?
Stye refers to an eyelid inflammation that is associated with pus collection. In some cases, the infection is due to Staphylococcus bacteria. The lump is often red and painful, looking like a pimple or boil. Most styes develop on the outside, but some take place on the inside as well.
You should never burst a stye on your own. Symptoms can be eased by holding a warm compress against the eye. Make sure the water is not too hot. Special care should be exercised when you are applying warm compress to a child or somebody else.
Hold the compress against the eye for 5 – 10 minutes each, 3 – 4 times in a day.
Hot compress helps in easing discomfort and encourages pus to drain away. Symptoms will improve normally and rapidly once the pus is drained. In case of particularly sore styes, your doctor may prescribe pain relievers.
Your doctor may remove the nearest eyelash if an external stye is painful. They will then drain the pus by using a thin needle to lance it. This procedure needs to be performed by a professional. You may be referred to a specialist if things don’t improve. For instance, you may be referred to an ophthalmologist.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotic eye drops or a topical antibiotic cream if the stye persists. Oral antibiotics may be prescribed in case the infection spreads beyond the eyelid.
Texas Surgical Dermatology, led by board certified dermatologist Dr. Tri H. Nguyen, receives patients from Houston, Katy, Spring, The Woodlands, Texas, and nearby areas for innovative and advanced skin care treatments.
For More Information contact our Board Certified in Dermatologists at Texas Surgical Dermatology in Spring, TX
For more information on procedures and treatments offered at Texas Surgical Dermatology PA please call 832.663.6566 or click here to contact our dermatologists. Helping patients in Houston, The Woodlands, Spring, Katy and other surrounding areas of Texas.
