Boils (Furunculosis):
Teen information

The pus inside of a boil needs to be drained thoroughly before the body can completely clear the infection. If the boil does not drain itself, your doctor may wish to perform a simple procedure. In this procedure, a sterile needle or small blade is used to "nick" the skin over the top of the boil, and the pus is allowed to drain out. The area will then be cleaned and bandaged, and you will be sent home with instructions to wash, apply antibacterial ointment, and re-bandage the area several times daily as discussed above. You may also be prescribed a course of antibiotics to be taken by mouth.

Your physician may choose to collect a swab of the pus for laboratory analysis and swabs from other areas of the body (nose, armpits, and/or anus and genital area) to determine if you are a carrier of staph. If you are a carrier, your doctor may prescribe a topical medication applied to the inside of the nose and/or oral antibiotics for several days. These measures can help to prevent a recurrence of the boil(s) and to decrease the possibility that you may unknowingly spread the germ to others. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, be sure to take the full course of treatment.