Diagnosis
After the physical examination of the skin, a smear of the furuncle must be taken for a clear diagnosis.This smear can be used to detect the bacterial pathogen in case of a furuncle. If no bacterial pathogen can be detected, it is not a boil. In most cases a boil is caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, if it occurs frequently, the blood sugar level should also be measured again, since an unadjusted and therefore not yet known sugar disease favors the development of boils.
Should I squeeze the boil on my leg?
A boil on the leg should never be expressed, as this can lead to significant complications, such as systemic infections or abscesses up to sepsis. The manipulation, i.e. the pressing or scratching open of a boil should be strictly avoided.
Treatment
In most cases, boils heal on their own without further treatment or complications. It is important to note that the furuncle should not be expressed under any circumstances. Since it is easily confused with a common pimple, this is often done wrongly.
Because if the boil is not yet completely mature, the pus can empty itself inwards instead of outwards as it naturally does afterwards, which in the worst case can lead to blood poisoning, which is life-threatening if untreated. When treating a boil, it is especially important to pay attention to hygiene so that the boil or the pathogen does not spread to other parts of the body. Especially if there is a natural bursting of the furuncle during the healing process, as the contents are highly infectious.
After each touch of the furuncle, one should always clean/disinfect the hands thoroughly. Due to the danger of spreading, you should avoid baths and take a shower instead. Towels and bed linen should be washed at high temperatures.
Likewise, the widely used and applied pulling ointment, which among other things has blood circulation-promoting, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, should not be used to treat a furuncle. Although its use promotes the maturation of a furuncle, it leads to the development of an abscess on the leg, which must then be surgically removed. Since it is a bacterial infection, antibiotics are used in rare cases to fight it.
Usually, a pronounced skin disinfection is used to treat an uncomplicated furuncle. Furthermore, warm and moist compresses are used, since the boil empties itself spontaneously due to the moist heat and then heals. In case of particularly painful furuncles or a boil that does not open on its own, it can be opened with a scalpel so that the pus can be removed. The operation of a furuncle takes place under local anesthesia and is followed by further medical treatment.
