The risks with a boil | Boils on the chin

The risks with a boil

Boils that develop in the area of the trunk or extremities are usually completely free of complications and can be controlled quite quickly by appropriate treatment measures.Also in the face a boil does not necessarily have to hold risks. In general, one assumes that a boil, which develops for example in the area of the chin, is completely harmless. The situation is different with those furuncles that develop above the corner of the mouth earlobe line.

With these furuncles there is a danger that the causative germs spread via the bloodstream to the brain. Within the brain, a so-called “sinus-venosus-thrombosis” can then occur. This term describes a clinical picture in which a blood clot blocks important venous sinuses in the brain.

The problem is that this clinical picture, even if it is caused by a boil above the chin, remains without symptoms over a long period of time in 1/3 of the cases. In the remaining patients, general symptoms, which do not necessarily indicate the presence of a sinus-venosus thrombosis caused by a boil, such as fever, appear first. Only in later stages do the symptoms become clearer. This disease, which is caused by a boil above the chin, is a potentially life-threatening complication.

What is the prognosis?

If treatment is initiated in a targeted manner, the prognosis of a furuncle (for example on the chin) is very good.

How dangerous is a boil on the chin?

Only a doctor can determine by examination whether a boil is located in a “dangerous” place or not. Boils in the face are tricky because small blood clots can form which can close the veins of the face. Such occlusions are very dangerous because they can obstruct the blood supply to the brain.

Therefore, boils in the facial area are absolutely forbidden to be manipulated. Furuncles on the chin are also among the furuncles of the face and should not be pressed on by themselves. If they are opened by a physician, and/or expertly treated, they do not represent however a large danger.