Lions, and tigers, and boils! Oh, my!

I thought I would take a break from writing about tumors and focus, instead, on another type of medical oddity: boils.

A boil is a localized infection of hair follicles, which results in the accumulation of pus and dead tissue. Boils start as red, tender lumps. After a few days, the lumps fill with pus and continue to grow larger. Eventually, the boils will rupture and drain. If multiple boils occur in the same area, they are called a carbuncle (a cluster of boils). Carbuncles are usually more painful and take longer to heal than a single boil.

Image Credit: MedicineNet, Inc.

Boils are no laughing matter. I have read various stories online about people dealing with large and very painful boils. Because many boils start their lives looking like pimples, people usually leave them alone and think nothing of them. Only after the boil “ripens” (or develops a white pus-filled head), do people become more concerned.

Depending on how squeamish you are (and, possibly, on the size of the boil), one can either lance and drain the boil at home or have a doctor do so at a hospital. Unfortunately, even with current medical advances, there are no certain cures for boils.

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Boils