Introduction
A boil is an inflammation of a hair follicle and the surrounding tissue. A boil can occur anywhere on the hairy skin and usually develops spontaneously without a direct trigger. Most often, the inflammation originates from the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, which migrates along the hair through a skin injury down to the hair follicle. In the course of time, the affected tissue dies off and a purulent meltdown forms, which stands out as a suppurative focus in the center of the reddened and swollen skin section. Boils often occur in connection with a weakened immune system.
Causes for the development of a furuncle
Diabetes mellitus can promote the development of furuncles. If the diabetes mellitus is well treated or adjusted, this leads to the fact that boils also occur less frequently. In some cases, only the newly occurring furuncles lead to the diagnosis of an untreated diabetes mellitus.
The reason for this interaction between diabetes and furunculosis is probably a wound healing disorder and immune deficiency, which is increasingly present in diabetics. In the context of diabetes mellitus, poorer skin circulation occurs. As a result, wounds can heal more poorly, since the healing process is inevitably linked to good blood circulation.
It is known that people who suffer from diabetes mellitus have a poorer ability to fend off pathogens. The exact process that leads to diabetics with a derailed metabolism showing an immune deficiency has not yet been clarified. The immune deficiency also affects infections of the skin.
For this reason, an untreated metabolic disorder such as diabetes mellitus can lead to an increased incidence of furuncles. A pimple, also called a pustule in the medical field, represents a cavity in the superficial layer of skin. This is filled with pus.
Pus is a biological product that develops from tissue fusion and lost white defense cells. The defense cells are found in the blood and are part of the immune system. They migrate into the tissue as part of an inflammatory reaction and secrete enzymes that lead to tissue fusion.
Some bacteria can also cause the tissue to dissolve and thus lead to the formation of a pustule. Pimples often occur in the context of acne. This leads to a blockage of skin pores, which prevents sebum and other substances from being excreted.
Bacteria can multiply and inflammatory cells are attracted. This results in a pus-filled pimple. Pimples occur more frequently during puberty.
This is due to a hormonally controlled increased sebum production and enlargement of sebaceous glands as well as an increased proliferation of horny cells. The role of hormones also explains the connection between the amount of pimples and the female menstrual cycle. It is also suspected that very high-fat food and dairy products promote the development of pimples.
Genetic factors also play a role. Boils and pimples generally have a very similar appearance, as both are pustule. However, a boil should be treated more carefully than a pimple.
When opening the furuncle, strict hygiene must be observed and in the early stages, pushing around the furuncle must be strictly avoided to prevent it from spreading. In contrast to pimples, boils always develop from an inflammation of the hair follicle and start in deeper skin layers. The bacterial colonization may also be different.
Testosterone has a diverse effect on the skin and promotes the development of boils. On the one hand, testosterone leads to increased hairiness of the skin. Thus, the increased presence of hair follicles also increases the risk of hair follicle inflammation.
In addition, a thick beard makes it more difficult to clean the skin and must therefore be kept consistently clean. In addition, testosterone increases the production of sebum, which makes the pores easier to clog and causes slight boils or even pimples. Testosterone generally makes the skin more oily than it would be without the effect of the hormone and has more pores.
This can lead to a coarser skin texture. It has also been found that testosterone has an influence on the skin’s barrier function. For example, wound healing is slower under testosterone, which makes the penetration of bacteria more likely.The psyche also plays an important role in the development of furuncles.
It is suspected that psychological stress leads to a less active immune system or reduced resistance. This in turn favors the occurrence of furuncles. It can be observed that furuncles occur more often in times of stressful situations.
Also a permanent lack of sleep does not only affect the mood, but also limits the immune defence. In order to reduce the psychological stress, good sleep hygiene and regular exercise should be ensured. This strengthens the immune system and thus also reduces the number of boils.
Chemotherapy usually involves so-called cytostatic drugs. These intervene in the cell cycle and prevent the proliferation of cells. This particularly affects cells that divide frequently and thus multiply strongly.
This applies primarily to tumor cells. However, most chemotherapeutic drugs do not specifically target the tumorous cells, but also attack all other rapidly dividing cells. An example of this is the blood cells, which also include the white blood cells of the immune system. Chemotherapy leads to a reduction in the number of defence cells, making it easier for infections, such as boils, to develop.
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