Conditions
Boils
A boil is an inflamed swelling normally caused by infection to the hair follicle. They are filled with pus and are often sore and painful. They generally occur in places where there is friction between the skin and clothing, and particularly where there sweat catches, such as under the arms and between the buttocks. If a network of boils joins together, it can form a super boil, known as a carbuncle. The causes of boils are many, some occur naturally as a result of high occurrence of staphylocooci bacteria, but others may be caused by a weakened immune system (as a result of diabetes or stress) or by irritation to the skin caused by conditions such as eczema. Most boils will disappear on their own, but in serious cases they can be treated by a medical professional, who will normally drain the pus from the boil using a needle and syringe. Bursting boils is not recommended, as this can spread the infection on to neighbouring skin.
Comments and Questions
You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
i suffer from boils, under my arm pits and between my legs, and i ve took antibiotics and they wont go, they can be very painfull at times, i dnt like haveing sex in the light, only at night and i feel really uncomfortable when im haveing sex 2, i just want them to go. please help me please.
I'm not sure if this is boils, but I always have a very sore "boil" on my genitals, sometimes 3 or 4. They get larger and larger till they finally burst. Very sore to sit or have have sex with my husband. After weeks of waiting and they finally burst, a new one starts to form so I'm always fighting one. This has gone on for the past 15 to 20 years with the past 5 years being the worst. I'm 41. All I can do is keep it clean and put sudocrem on the boils to try and keep an antibiotic on them. Is my body lacking something or does it have too much of something. Please help me!
Hi I have been having this for 5 years. Finally I had enough of always being in alot of pain and decided to do something quite drastic. I put savalon antiseptic liquid in the bath. (like dettol) and I bathed in this every day. Touch wood they have gone and I have no more forming. It has only been a week, but I think you will agree that is a long time, when you are used to living with these.
i get boils in my ears and the burst and go away but a new boil returns theee next weeek,pleaseee help meee,
I have large and enflamed lumps in my private area between my legs and my vagina. They are extremely sore and sometimes secrete puss. I don't know what it is or what to do please help!!!
i have severe boils on the back fo me neck and have had them for 20 years, they are very sore as well as awful to look at. I hate having my haircut, my doctor is not in the slighest big interested, anyone any suggestions please
I am getting very itchy kind of spots or sometinhg between my 2 but cheaks and i dont know what it is please help
I keep getting boils around the vagina area and is very saw any advise how to treat it? Very painful to work and have sex, Unable to make a doctor appointment due to my shift work Plus i'am in the middle of changing doctors as our doctor don't tend to help with anything - more intrested trying to make us go private all the time instead of the nhs.
im 27 and have had a boil in between my buttocks for nearly 2 years its not sore all the time but flairs up nearly once a week and is very painful and very pusy and is very painful to sit down i dont have them anywhere else please help
my name is sue and im 39 been suffering from boils since the age of 14 and started on a course of treatment 2yrs ago its working but im left with a lot of scares which are very embarrasing under my boobs, under arms, down on my privates which i aint had sexual contact for a very long time i have even had them on my stomach what can i do to improve my skin so i look normal
im 20 now and i get really bad boils too. i got a massive one in the pubic area and its SO annoying cause i dont want to get intimate either. but my dr put me on acnamino mr which works so :) thumbs up.
Important Notice
The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.
If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here
