Causes of carbuncle

Carbuncles are caused by bacteria called staphylococci in medicine. These are bacteria that can be found on every skin and usually do not cause any damage. However, if these bacteria penetrate into deeper skin layers, they can cause an inflammation there.

If several hair follicles become inflamed or melt together, a carbuncle develops. The body’s own immune system fights these bacteria and pus accumulates. Why some people are more prone to boils and carbuncles is not exactly clear.

However, there are some risk factors for the development of the inflammation. These include:

Smoking: Patients who smoke have a 10 times higher risk of getting carbuncles
Patients with a congenital immune disease also have an increased risk of developing carbuncles
Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor
Skin diseases such as impetigo or sycosis also favour the development
Drugs like cortisone can influence the immune system and also promote inflammation
Lack of disinfection, especially after shaving. Bacteria can penetrate the skin more easily due to the injury of the skin during shaving and thus also lead to furuncles or carbuncles.

Where can carbuncles develop?

Apart from the face, there are also other locations where carbuncles can occur. When hair follicles become inflamed, boils develop.If several furuncles are inflamed, these together form a purulent carbuncle. Carbuncles can occur everywhere where hairy skin is present.

Besides the face, carbuncles often occur on the buttocks. Usually bacteria are responsible for it, often the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. A carbuncle on the buttocks is a boil characterized by overheating, redness, swelling and pain.

A pronounced carbuncle can also cause general symptoms such as tiredness, fatigue and fever. Depending on the position of the carbuncle on the buttocks, sitting can sometimes be very uncomfortable, as carbuncles are very painful when they are pressed. There are various ways to treat carbuncles on the buttocks.

Occasionally carbuncles are treated conservatively, using creams and ointments. Often, however, an operation is necessary, in which the carbuncle is removed under local anesthesia. In addition, antibiotic therapy is usually used to eliminate the bacteria responsible for the boils.

A carbuncle in the genital area is a painful boil under the skin. By the inflammation of several hair follicles to boils, a carbuncle can develop. A boil in the genital area can cause swelling of lymph nodes in the groin area and a feeling of weakness, tiredness and fever.

The boil itself is reddened, warm, swollen and extremely painful under pressure. Carbuncle in the genital area requires medical treatment. Depending on the size of the carbuncle, a conservative therapy with pulling ointment can be tried, or directly a surgical splitting of the carbuncle.

Antibiotic therapy is then indicated to successfully eliminate the germs. Painful carbuncles form in hairy skin and therefore often in the armpit. The combination of several small inflamed boils can cause a large boil in the armpit. A carbuncle in the armpit is characterized by the typical inflammatory symptoms, redness, warming, swelling and pain. The purulent boil requires medical treatment and should not be expressed independently.