Furuncle in children: what to do?

What is a boil?

The boil is a bacterial infection that takes place in the hair follicle, or more precisely the pilosebaceous follicle. This is where the hair begins, and where the sebaceous gland produces the sebum that protects and covers the hair.

First, when the infection is minor, we talk about folliculitis. When it becomes deep and necrotizing, it evolves into boil.

In the extreme majority of cases, the boil is due to the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus aureus.

Note that it is not because the child does not have dark and thick hair that he cannot have a boil, because the boil can take place at the level of the hair follicle of a very fine and very hair. clear. The same goes for a newborn or infant, in whom a boil can form due to favorable circumstances (infant acne, shaved or scratched skin, etc.). 

The preferred areas for boils are the nose, back, shoulders, neck, thighs and buttocks. In children and babies, it is often the buttocks and anus that are concerned, because in children, boils often appear on an area that has been scratched or shaved, or from the friction of tight clothing.

How to recognize a boil?

The boil manifests itself as a red, hard, hot and painful pimple, centered on a hair, and evolving into a pustule, with pus. The last stage of development of the boil corresponds to the flow of pus and the elimination of the pilosebaceous follicle, which has become a swab. The boil leaves a red crater on the skin, which heals in a few days to a week but results in a hollowed scar.

 How do you tell a boil from a cyst? 

A boil is distinguished from a sebaceous cyst by what it contains. A boil is filled with pus whilea cyst, even an infected one, contains sebum. But it is not always easy, with the naked eye, to tell the two apart. In case of doubt, and especially if this type of skin condition persists, worsens or recurs elsewhere on the body, it is better to seek the advice of a doctor, who will know the difference.

 Boils: when to consult? 

The Ameli.fr health insurance site describes several situations in the face of a boil, and the procedure to follow. 

If the boil grows rapidly and is very painful, that inflammation appears around the boil, and that the hygiene measures taken do not lead to the healing of the boil after ten days, it is advisable to consult your doctor in the days that follow.

But things are different if the boil is found on one wing of the nose or near the mouth, because it can evolve into a malignant staphylococcal disease of the face, a brain complication (obstruction of the venous sinuses of the brain due to a blood clot). It is then necessary to consult a doctor during the day. Same thing if it is a boil on the ears or anus, if the boils come back regularly (furonculose), if they form a lump or if a fever develops. Infants, diabetics, immunocompromised or taking corticosteroid therapy should also consult during the day.

Finally, if you have a boil on the wing of the nose and headaches, disturbances of consciousness or convulsions appear, towards emergencies : it is advisable to contact the emergency services without delay by dialing 15 or 112.

What treatment to treat a boil?

In the case of an isolated boil without signs of severity, antibiotic treatment is usually not necessary. Only care and hygiene measures will suffice to overcome it. When the boil is large, one can seek the care and advice of a doctor, who can perform a drainage of the boil.

Although it is effective, the antibiotic treatment is not systematically offered, because not necessarily essential. It is reserved for the following cases: 

• multiple boils (furunculosis);
• boil in a risk area (nose, mouth, ear, anus, etc.);
• complicated boil (abscess, persistent fever, anthrax…);
• certain chronic diseases (diabetes, immunosuppression, treatment with corticosteroids, etc.).

The antibiotic treatment is taken orally, and usually lasts 5 days. Note that local antibiotics in the form of cream or ointment may be prescribed.

Note that in the context of a boil in children or babies, it is recommended to take the advice of a hospital pediatrician, because complicated forms of abscess are more common.

How to make a boil disappear naturally?

Should a boil be pierced? How to make it ripen faster?

It is not at all advisable to pierce a boil. Better to let it “ripen” so that it disappears on its own, otherwise there is a risk of increasing the scar, spreading the bacteria elsewhere, or superinfecting. On the other hand, we can try to accelerate the maturation of the boil. For this, we will apply a hot water compress on the boil several times a day for about ten minutes, taking care to then disinfect it with an antiseptic product. We will also ensure cover the boil with a sterile compress, held in place with a bandage. The application of an antiseptic and a sterile compress should take place several times a day and even within two weeks after the pus has drained and the boil has been emptied.

homeopathy 

In addition to conventional medical care, with or without antibiotics, it is possible to take homeopathic granules. As soon as the boil appears, when the skin is pink, we can take 3 granules 3 times a day of Apis mellifica 9 CH. If the boil turns red, we will rather opt for 3 granules 3 times a day of Belladonna 9 CH, and for a measure of powder of Hepar sulfuris calcareum 3 DH, 3 times a day when the boil is formed, with white in its center. Finally, when it is slow to disappear, the boil can be treated with 3 granules 3 times a day of Silicea 9 CH until healing, in addition to the usual hygiene measures (disinfection, hot water compresses, etc.).

Herbal medicine

On the side of plants against the boil, we can use burdock, either as an infusion to drink without meals, or in tablets or capsules to swallow, or even in burdock infusion compresses to be applied locally. Burdock is famous for combating various skin problems.

You can also apply lemon on the boil, since this citrus fruit has antibacterial properties. Be careful though, it stings!

Note also that if essential oils can be useful to overcome a boil naturally, these should be handled with caution, as many are contraindicated in babies, young children and pregnant women. It is therefore better to seek advice from a naturopath or a pharmacist trained in aromatherapy.

Does diabetes promote the onset of boils in children?

The people most at risk of boils are adolescents and young adults, especially men (especially due to excessive sweating and oily skin), diabetics, overweight or obese people, immunocompromised people, with an immune deficiency (HIV, immunosuppressive treatment, corticosteroid therapy), and people with iron deficiency anemia.

In fact, children with diabetes are at greater risk than children of the same age who do not have diabetes.

It should also be noted that imperfect or insufficient hygiene, overly tight clothing, the practice of contact sports (rugby, judo, etc.) or cycling are risk factors for boils.

Furuncle and contagion

 Are boils contagious?

Since they are caused by bacteria, and the bacteria can be transmitted, boils are highly contagious. We speak in particular ofautocontamination when a person with a boil infects another area of ​​their body by scratching. Other boils may appear as well, which is why it is not recommended to scratch or even touch the boil, if possible. When disinfecting the boil, care should be taken to wash your hands well upstream and downstream. 

It is also advisable to wash clothes, bath and bed linen at high temperature (90 ° C) to prevent the bacteria from remaining.

Can you pass a boil to your baby? 

Unfortunately yes, it is possible to contaminate those around him with the staphylococcus aureus responsible for his boil, and thus lead to the formation of a boil in his newborn or infant. The watchword is hygiene : to avoid self-contamination such as contaminating your baby, you will wash your hands perfectly after touching your boil during daily care. We will cut our nails short, and we will wash thoroughly with a brush. Do not use the same bath linen for yourself and for your baby, it is better for everyone to have their own bath towel, a rule that is also important to apply even if there is no boil.

Can boils appear all over the body?

If boils have a few favorite areas of appearance, including the buttocks, anus, the wing of the nose, or the face in general, they can potentially appear anywhere on the body. By touching or scratching the boil, one can unfortunately self-contaminate by spreading the bacteria responsible for the boil to other parts of the body. In a baby, a boil may appear, for example, on the scalp, on the thigh or on the leg. In children, the back, stomach or arm can also be affected.