The warm and moist environment under the arms is a place where microorganisms, especially staphylococci, thrive. They are the reason why a boil forms under the armpit. Penetrating into the hair follicle, these bacteria cause an inflammatory process.
Boils can form in the armpits
What do boils look like?
When one large boil appears under a person's armpit, it is called a boil. If several such painful pimples occur, then we are talking about the development of furunculosis. New growths may look different. A boil that just appears is a dense subcutaneous node. Visually, it can be seen by inflamed, red skin.
After a few days, the size of the infiltrate changes, and a yellow dot appears in the center. This begins to form a purulent core. Gradually, the abscess takes on a cone-shaped shape. The skin above it becomes transparent, under it you can see a purulent-necrotic mass.
Furunculosis in the armpit can become chronic if treated incorrectly. This means that boils in the hairline area will form until the skin’s immune system gets stronger.
Why do boils appear under the arms?
Boils appear in the armpit when the infection penetrates into the mouths of the hair follicles. Healthy skin microflora includes opportunistic bacteria (staphylococci, streptococci). On the surface of the skin, these microbes behave peacefully. As soon as they penetrate inside the body, for example, through scratches and cuts, they become aggressive and cause purulent inflammation. It turns out that the source of infection is the person himself.
The main reasons for the appearance of boils under the arms:
- weak general and local immune system;
- increased sweating and lack of hygiene;
- wearing tight synthetic clothing.
If a single boil under the arm is treated incorrectly, for example, by using a warm compress, this will lead to the spread of inflammation to healthy areas of the skin and the appearance of new purulent formations.
Signs of the disease
Signs of chiryak formation are difficult not to see , since the growth of formation is accompanied by inconvenience and high temperature.
- The formation covers the entire hair follicle, including the sweat gland and connective tissue. During the period of formation, collagen lesions appear, which are destroyed, like plastic fibers.
- The formation is subject to regular damage. This place hurts a lot, in particular during the formation of a boil. Therapy for the formation is determined by the level of its growth.
- When education occurs, it is important to follow the rules of personal hygiene. The source of damage should not come into contact with clothing, which irritates the skin. You need to give up deodorants. The source of infection must be regularly treated with creams and certain compounds. In severe cases of furunculosis, only surgery is necessary.
Stages of furunculosis
Symptoms of furunculosis depend on what stage of development the disease is at. The pathological process occurs in the same way in all people, but only a few know how to stop the inflammation and make the infiltrate resolve at the very beginning of its occurrence.
Stages of boil development:
- First day. Ostiofolliculitis develops - the skin around the hair follicle becomes dense, red and swollen. The person begins to feel a painful burning sensation under the armpit.
- Second or third day. The infiltrate increases to 3 cm in diameter. A purulent core begins to form inside it. The skin around the pathological lesion, which gradually matures, becomes hot. The affected area is very painful.
- Fourth to sixth days. The skin around the purulent infiltrate changes color to red-blue, in the center of the lesion it becomes thin and transparent, pus is visible underneath.
- Seventh to tenth day. When the abscess matures, the skin over the purulent core softens, and the purulent-necrotic masses on the surface come out. Within 24 hours, healthy tissue rejects the rod, after which healing begins.
The described process is relevant only for those cases that are not complicated in any way.
Symptoms
How can you tell if a boil is starting to develop under the skin?
Photo: clinical manifestations of a boil
Usually the symptoms clearly indicate that this is not a common pimple:
- a swelling appears on the skin, dense to the touch, its center is raised;
- the skin acquires a red tint, the redness does not have a clear boundary;
- pain appears not only when touched, but also as an independent symptom;
- the tubercle that appears may itch;
- every day the symptoms increase, the swelling increases;
- after a week, purulent contents may be visible at the top of the formation.
What does a boil look like? In some cases, people do not know the signs of acute tissue inflammation and consider the boil to be an ordinary pimple. Many are trying to get rid of it. The consequences can be severe.
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What is the danger
Sometimes a boil in the armpit does not break out for a very long time. To speed up the process, some people apply hot compresses to the sore spot and then try to squeeze out the pus. This causes complications, which include:
- Local. Pathological foci are formed when pus flows inside. As a result, an abscess or phlegmon develops.
- Distant. Infection from the boil penetrates the lymphatic and blood vessels, lymph and blood spread it throughout the body, which leads to sepsis.
When a boil forms in the armpit, a complication most often occurs in the form of furunculosis. This skin disease is characterized by the appearance of a large number of new boils within a short time. Then the disease takes a chronic course.
Diagnosis of the disease
Boil has characteristic symptoms, making diagnosis easy. The disease is differentiated from hidradenitis, trichophytosis, anthrax, erythema nodosum, and sclofuroderm.
To identify the pathogen, a fragment of the purulent discharge of the boil is taken for cultural examination. Based on the results of bacterial culture, antibacterial drugs are selected, which are subsequently used to treat the resulting boil.
The first visit is to a dermatologist. In many cases consultation is required:
- surgeon;
- endocrinologist;
- otolaryngologist;
- pulmonologist;
- gastroenterologist.
The diagnosis is made after a general examination. Additionally required:
- bacterial culture of the contents of the pustule;
- dermatoscopy of the affected area.
How to get rid of a boil in the armpit
If a boil has just begun to form under the arm, then a medicinal method is used to treat such a boil. The infiltrate is treated several times a day using a cotton swab with an alcohol solution of 2% salicylic acid or a 5% iodine solution. The drugs dry and disinfect the skin, relieve inflammation. As a result, the subcutaneous formation resolves within 1-2 days.
Only a specialist can help cure a boil that does not break through for a long time. In such cases, doctors do not recommend looking for treatment methods on their own. All that a patient can do on their own to get rid of pain under the armpit is to apply an ointment with an analgesic effect, Levosin, to the inflamed area.
Drugs
If you treat a boil under the armpit correctly, then within 5-6 days the infected area will break through. The list of most commonly prescribed local remedies for the treatment of boils includes:
- Liniment according to Vishnevsky. Used as a compress, which is changed 2 times a day. The drug causes a rush of blood to the inflamed area, which leads to the pushing of pus out.
- Ichthyol. The ointment is applied to the boil under a bandage and is changed every 8 hours. The product accelerates the maturation of the boil under the arm, relieves pain in the wound and prevents the addition of a secondary infection.
- Levomekol. The drug contains an antibacterial substance and a component that strengthens the skin's immunity. The wound is filled with a combined ointment, a bandage is applied on top, but this is done after the boil under the arm has broken through.
In advanced cases, only on the recommendation of a doctor, the patient should take a course of antibiotics (Cephalexin, Lincomycin).
As a rule, the need for such treatment arises with furunculosis and with prolonged maturation of the pathological focus under the armpit. Patients are required to be prescribed vitamins and medications that help strengthen general and local immunity.
Surgical methods
Usually, those who are looking for a way to treat a boil quickly end up in the surgeon's waiting room due to an abscess (an extensive internal abscess). Although this specialist’s patients also include people whose boils cannot open on their own. It is impossible to tolerate this condition, as it is accompanied by severe stabbing pain and fever. It is possible to effectively get rid of the problem only through surgery.
The operation proceeds according to the following scheme:
- The inflamed area is anesthetized with chlorethyl, a drug for surface anesthesia. If the abscess is deep, it is injected with novocaine.
- The purulent focus under the armpit is opened using a pointed scalpel. The pus does not always come out at the same time as the rod; the rod is rejected within 24 hours.
- The wound is treated with a disinfecting solution (chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide), Levomekol is applied, and a bandage is applied.
After the operation, the patient is transported to the ward. He is prescribed strict bed rest, liquid nutrition and intramuscular antibiotic therapy (penicillin every 3 hours).
How to treat at home
Some people manage to get rid of boils using traditional methods of treatment. Doctors categorically do not recommend this risk to allergy sufferers and people with diabetes, as well as those with immune problems. As a rule, these are people with inflammatory chronic diseases. Anyone who considers themselves healthy can treat a boil under the arm at home using soap or potatoes.
Laundry dark brown soap
This product contains natural fatty acids and alkali. These components help relieve inflammation and draw pus out within two days.
How to prepare: grind a bar of soap into a saucepan using a grater, add 300 ml of water. Then it should be cooked over low heat until smooth.
How to use: form a cake from the cooled softened product, apply it to the boil so that it covers healthy areas of the skin. Place a piece of bandage on top of the cake and secure it under the arm with a bandage. After 4 hours, change the cake.
Raw potatoes
To make the pus come out of the boil under the arm faster, you can treat it at home using a potato compress.
How to make: Cut a thin slab from a large peeled potato.
If you have multiple boils under the arms, it is better not to self-medicate; the treatment process should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor, otherwise there is a high probability of blood poisoning.
How to use: apply the potato to the boil, put compress paper on top, secure the structure under the arm in a convenient way. Change potato plates up to 4 times a day.
Physiotherapy
To relieve inflammation and strengthen local immunity, patients with both single boils and recurrent furunculosis are prescribed physiotherapeutic procedures:
- Heat therapy. If one boil has appeared, then dry heat is used at the early stage of the disease. Sessions help the pathological focus to quickly mature.
- Ultrahigh frequency therapy. Strengthens the skin's immunity, relieves inflammation, helps the infiltrate resolve, and improves the local metabolic process.
- UV therapy. Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, scarring of damaged skin is accelerated and its immunity is increased.
For patients with chronic furunculosis, sanatorium-resort treatment is recommended.
Preventive measures: what not to do
Pimples under the arms, unlike rashes on the face, are not noticeable, but often cause itching and pain.
Be sure to read:
Basic signs about a pimple on and around the nose
If pimples appear, you should not do the following:
- Squeeze, pierce pathological formations and comb. With such actions, the skin is further injured, and infection can be caused through damage.
- Treat with alcohol. The aggressive substance “burns” the upper epithelium, impairing the healing process.
- Perform depilation. Exposure to razors, wax and other things increases the inflammatory process.
The basis of treatment and prevention is hygiene. When washing, you should use mild soap with a neutral pH, and avoid using hard washcloths.
Treatment of boils in children
Often parents do not know what to do and what medications to use when their child has a boil under the armpit. To avoid complications, doctors do not recommend considering grandmother’s methods as an effective treatment option. First of all, you need to contact your pediatrician about the problem. The specialist will examine the little patient and prescribe treatment using the following medications:
- Vishnevsky ointment - for rapid maturation of the infiltrate.
- Levomekol - prescribed after opening the abscess, helps to completely clean the wound.
- Vitamin complexes - to strengthen general and local immunity.
At the initial stage of infiltrate formation, it can be treated with a 5% iodine solution, which will prevent the formation of pus.
