What's in a boil?

Filed in archive Cases on November 27, 2006

Have you heard of the old wives' tale that a boil (or skin abscesses) is the body's natural mechanism to push out toxins?

Where I came from, apparently if you had "boil sprouting" at one point then your immune system will be left at its finest which means that you won't be getting sick for a long time.

But what really is a boil, well, medically speaking at least?

According to Medicine.Net:

"...also referred to as a skin abscess, is a localized infection deep in the skin. Eventually, the center of the abscess softens and becomes filled with infection-fighting white blood cells that the body sends from the blood stream to eradicate the infection. "

The old wives' tale is partially true, except that the "toxin" (in this case really the cause of infection) is an element that came from the outside that the body doesn't want and thus pushes out via a boil.

Why am i suddenly talking of boil? Because I just came back from Manila over the weekend. Manila, the Philippines' capital maybe known for some other greater things but is also very known for its air pollution.

[In photo is my nape with a developing boil. Notice the head developing? That's not only it, because there's one more near the hairlline on my forehead.]

Arrggh. It still hurts as I compose this entry. Really. But no fever, so no cause for alarm and this isn't the first time I had boils (but am not gonna tell you where!).

When they're ripe and ready, I can just drain it myself, asceptically of course. Imagine that? Gross I know, but boils can be easily handled at home. I always think of it as an overgrown acne.

What cause boils?

There are many causes of boils. Some boils can be caused by an ingrown hair. Others can form as the result of a splinter or other foreign material that has become lodged in the skin. Others boils, such as those of acne, are caused by plugged sweat glands that become infected.

There you go, Gloria.

Read more at Medicine.Net about boils, their causes and how to handle them.