Infected Boil

[Modesto Valles]

A boil in my groin area came to a head after a few months. This was about 6 months ago. I was put on antibiotics but it did not cure the problem. The doctor surgically removed the infected area. He left about a 1" hole in the area that he cleaned. I soaked every night and packed the hole with dressing. After it healed over, it still leaked pus. In about 2 months, the doctor again cleaned out the infected area but this time making the hole wider. It is nearly healed over and the same thing is happening again. Pus is draining every day and is giving off a bad odor. I am still soaking once a day. I have searched the internet and I have the symptoms of hidradentitis suppurativa. I don't want to go through surgery again since it did not seem to help. What do you recommend that I try next? All of this seemed to have started with a fissure in my colon. The doctor treated this problem and then the boil appeared. I am currently taking high blood pressure medicine but that is all. I am in good health other than this. Please help. Thank you.

[Jan Johnson]

I have had "boils" to recur in groin area. And in the past I have been instructed to keep a very hot,very wet soak on the area to bring it to a head. Usually the infection is deeper into the skin and therefore the soak only makes it more painful and swollen. Thru my own trial and error, I have found that placing an ice bag to cool the heated area off really works well. It was surprising to me, but it did and does work for me. If you're in this situation, you're ready to try ANYTHING and that's what I did since the doctors' recommendations weren't working. What I found was that when I kept the ice pack on, it cooled the fevered area down, and the infection (pus) localized to a very smaller area - and then it would drain! It really did work for me and I'd wish anyone good luck w/this - I know how painful and embarrassing these can be - especially if you're female like me. I say it can't hurt but to try. I also still soak in very hot tub baths w/Epsom salts sometimes - always cooling afterwards w/an ice pack.

[patrick]

i have this boil on my cheek and would like to know how to get rid of it and how long will take before it come to head or what to do to bring it to head, and treatments i can do to speed up the healing process ........thank you

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Modesto:

It is quite unusual, at least in my experience, for a boil in the groin to be that large, and to recur so significantly.  Hidradenitis suppurative would give you lots of bils in the groin and under the arms, over and over again for years, so I don't think that's the problem.  I don't know if the colon fissure is related, but I'd have some concern that it is--perhaps the pus is coming from within.  In any case, I think it would be worthwhile for your surgeon to explore the base of the boil to check out this possibility.  This does sound, however, like a local problem, not an ongoing systemic one.

Good luck.

Dr. Rockoff