Which doctor should one go to?

The experts of skin and skin appendages, i.e. hair, are the dermatologists. If you have the opportunity to quickly get an appointment with a dermatologist in private practice or if there is a dermatological outpatient clinic nearby, you should have your boils treated there. If no dermatologist is available in the near future, the family doctor will do the same.

When is surgery necessary?

Boils sometimes empty themselves spontaneously. Small boils can occasionally be treated with home remedies and pulling ointment. Under certain circumstances, however, the boils remain.

If existing pressure painful inflammations remain, one should definitely go to the doctor. Often an abscess splitting is then necessary. Whether an operation is actually necessary is decided by the treating physician.

Prophylaxis

Preventive measures against the development of a furuncle are mainly good hygiene and the use of disinfectant solutions after shaving. For this purpose, special aftershave products or disinfectant solutions are suitable. Especially in the groin area, however, care should be taken that these do not irritate too much.

If you notice that you do not tolerate wet shaving at all and that it leads to constantly appearing furuncles, you should think about other methods of hair removal. Tight clothing, especially in the groin area, can be another reason for the development of furuncles. Therefore, if you are prone to it, you should rather wear loose clothing.

This is especially true in summer, when the conditions for the bacteria are optimal anyway due to heavy sweating. The tight clothing, in combination with sweat, can also cause small skin lesions through which the bacteria then penetrate to the hair root. Also measures that strengthen the immune system can prevent the constant recurrence of furuncles.

First of all, however, the reasons for the apparent immune deficiency should always be clarified. These include, for example, a diabetes disease or the presence of infectious diseases. In these cases the development of furuncles can usually be prevented by treating the underlying disease.