How do abscesses occur

Follicles can become infected if the hair within the follicle is trapped and unable to break through the skin, as can happen after shaving. Trapped hair follicles are commonly known as ingrown hairs. Ingrown hairs can set the stage for an infection. Abscesses that are on or in a hair follicle will often contain this ingrown hair.

An abscess often appears as a bump on the skin, similar to a pimple. However, it can grow over time and resemble a cyst filled with fluid. Depending on the cause of the abscess, other symptoms may also be present. These symptoms may include:. You can often treat it at home. However, if you have a boil and any of the following apply to you, see your doctor as soon as possible:.

Your doctor will review your medical history and perform a physical examination to visually inspect the abscess. A complete physical examination allows your doctor to tell if an injury or ingrown hair is the cause of the abscess. Your doctor may also take a culture or a small amount of fluid from the abscess to test for the presence of bacteria. No other testing methods are necessary to diagnose an abscess.

You can book an appointment with a primary care doctor in your area using our Healthline FindCare tool. MRSA is a drug-resistant strain of the bacteria that commonly cause skin abscesses. You can usually treat a skin abscess at home. Applying heat to the abscess can help it shrink and drain. The most useful way of applying heat is to put a warm compress on the abscess.

You can make a warm compress by running warm water on a face towel and folding it before placing it on the abscess. They may want to drain it. To drain the abscess, your doctor will apply numbing medications and will then cut the abscess open to allow the fluid to come out.

After the abscess drains, your doctor will pack the wound with surgical material. This helps it to heal and prevents the abscess from reoccurring. A cavity is created, which fills with pus to form an abscess.

The pus contains a mixture of dead tissue, white blood cells and bacteria. The abscess may get larger and more painful as the infection continues and more pus is produced. Some types of staphylococcal bacteria produce a toxin called Panton-Valentine leukocidin PVL , which kills white blood cells. This causes the body to make more cells to keep fighting the infection and can lead to repeated skin infections. When bacteria gets under the surface of your skin, an abscess can form.

This can occur anywhere on the body, although skin abscesses tend to be more common in the:. Learn more about our commitment to Global Medical Knowledge. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. Common Health Topics. Videos Figures Images Quizzes Symptoms. Symptoms and Signs. Key Points. Biology of Infectious Disease. Test your knowledge. Streptobacillary rat-bite fever is caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis , an organism found in the oropharynx of healthy rats.

If a patient is bitten by an infected rat, symptoms can begin to develop within a period of 1 to 22 days. Which of the following symptoms of this disease tends to develop about 3 days after the initial symptoms? More Content. Abscesses By Larry M. Click here for Patient Education. Numerous organisms can cause abscesses, but the most common is. Direct implantation eg, penetrating trauma with a contaminated object. Predisposing factors to abscess formation include the following:. Impaired host defense mechanisms eg, impaired leukocyte defenses.

Obstruction to normal drainage eg, in the urinary, biliary, or respiratory tracts. Complications of abscesses include. Bacteremic spread. Clinical evaluation.