Treating Skin Abscesses

Abscess is a tender mass that is surrounded by an area that is colored in pink or red. It is easy to feel or touch abscesses. Its middle is filled with debris and pus. On touching, the mass is warm and painful and can show up on any place of the body. They are commonly found on the armpits, around the vagina or the anus. Abscesses can also be found on the base of the spine, around the tooth or even the groin. Abscess can also form due to inflammation around a hair follicle- this is often referred to as a boil.

Abscesses are bacterial infections but require more than the use of antibiotics to treat the infections. For an abscess to improve, it should open and drain. In some cases, draining could happen on its own but usually, it has to be opened by a doctor through incision and drainage (I&D) procedure.

Common causes

Obstructions caused by oil glands or sweat glands are known to cause abscesses. They can also be as a result of inflamed hair follicles and skin breaks and punctures. Germs can get under the skin or any of these glands causing an inflammation response due to the natural body response as the body tries to kill the germs.

Abscess liquefies at the middle and contains bacteria, dead cells and other debris. This area starts growing and tension increases below the skin. Further inflammation occurs on the surrounding tissues. There is high pressure as well as inflammation thus causing more pain.

Weak immune systems are susceptible to abscesses. The risk of getting the infections increases with a number of factors since the body can barely fight off the infections. Such risk factors are:

• Leukemia
• Severe burns
• Drug abuse and excessive alcoholism
• Severe trauma
• AIDS
• Chronic steroid therapy
• Sickle cell disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Chemotherapy
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Peripheral vascular disorders

Note: exposure to unhygienic environments, persons with certain skin infections, and poor circulation could also risk one into the infections.

Symptoms

In most cases, abscesses present as painful, red mass that is compressible and warm to touch as well as tender. These are the typical symptoms that could change as the infection progresses.

• As some abscesses progresses, they get pointed and come to a head thus easy to see the material in it and could open.
• Fever and feeling of sickness may develop in case the infection spreads to the deeper tissues.
• If not dealt with over time, the abscess gets worse and could even spread to the tissues under the skin or even into the bloodstream.

Prevention, diagnosis and treatment

The right way to deal with an abscess is by visiting a doctor to assess the status of the abscess.

• If it is small, apply warmth so as to compress the area for around half an hour like for 4 times daily.
• You should never try to drain the content of the abscess by pressing it. This could be more serious since the material of the abscess could be pushed further into the deeper tissues.
• To avoid spreading the infection or even injuring an underlying blood vessel, it is advisable not to stick a needle or any other sharp object in the center of the abscess.

Your doctor will take and analyze your medical history and ask a number of questions about the following:

• If you have any allergies
• The duration of the abscess
• If you have had an injury on the area
• If you are using any other medications
• In case you are experiencing fever at home

Treatment requires quality Erythromycin EC antibiotics from the Kiwi Drug online doctor once you have the initial Rx from your doctor!

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