BOILS TREATMENT

There's only one thing to do with a boil: get rid of it fast. And you can, but not by squeezing it. Instead, use a combination of heat and moisture to bring it to a head, followed by safe and sterile methods to induce draining and provide pain relief. Alternatively, try drying treatments to shrink the offender to extinction.

    Bring heat to the boil 

• Moist heat will help to bring a boil to a head. Among the various folk remedies is a grocery list of items that seem to work when heated — including warm bread, milk, cabbage and even figs. But a simple flannel works, too. Soak a clean flannel or hand towel in very hot water — as hot as you can stand without burning yourself. Wring it out and apply it to the boil for 30 minutes at a time, several times a day.

• You can also use warm thyme or camomile tea instead of plain water when you prepare the compress. Thyme contains an antiseptic compound called thymol that may help to prevent infection. And camomile tea contains the chemical camazulene, which has anti-inflammatory properties. 

• Also beneficial is a compress of the homeopathic tinctures of calendula (marigold) and hypericum (St John's wort). Put 1 teaspoon of each tincture in a cup of hot water and saturate a pad of cotton gauze. Apply this compress several times a day to decrease pain and inflammation. 

• A warm, moist tea bag will act as a compress all on its own. Tea contains tannins, astringent compounds with antibacterial properties. 

• If you like using folk remedies and have a green cabbage to hand, use a cooked outer cabbage leaf to draw the pus out of a boil. First, boil the cabbage leaf for a minute or so. Let it cool slightly and wrap it in gauze. Fix the gauze-covered leaf over the boil with adhesive tape such as Micropore and leave it in place for an hour. Use a fresh leaf and gauze each day.

• If the boil is in a hard-to-reach area, simply soak in a hot bath. While you're in the bath, keep the water as hot as possible without burning your skin. 

   Draining a boil 

• To drain a boil after it comes to a head, sterilize a needle by holding it over a naked flame until the tip glows red, using tongs so you don't burn your fingers. When cool, gently prick the thin layer of skin on top of the boil. (Alert Do not attempt this procedure if you detect any signs of infection such as redness or inflamed-looking streaks around the boil.)  

• Once the head is popped or has ruptured on its own, place a clean, warm flannel on top. First soak the flannel in a solution of salt water (mix a teaspoon of salt into a cup of hot water). Over the next three days, as the boil drains, replace the compress as frequently as possible. 

• Each time you take off the flannel, use liquid antibacterial soap to clean the boil and the surrounding skin. Then apply magnesium sulphate paste BP, which is an over-the-counter preparation specifically for boils, or an antibacterial such as Betadine (povidone-iodine 10%), available in alcohol or aqueous solution, as a dry powder spray or as an ointment, on and around the boil to prevent the spread of infection. 

All dried up 

• Sometimes a boil will go away if it just dries out.To help kill the bacteria causing the boil — as well as dry it out — apply an acne medication containing benzoyl peroxide twice a day. 

• Another way to make a boil clear up is by applying tea tree oil. This natural antiseptic kills germs and helps your skin to heal faster. 

The power of prevention 

• If you've had problems with boils in the past, consider switching to an antibacterial cleanser, such as Boots' ACT wash bar, Clearasil or Betadine skin cleanser or any alcohol-in-water-based cleansing gel.  

• With heat and pressure, bacteria can get trapped in body hair. Avoid wearing tight trousers, a sweatband or any other clothing that rubs against your skin and traps perspiration. Instead, opt for loose, comfortable clothing. 

• Don't share clothes with anyone who has a problem with boils. The infectious material can spread on contact. For the same reason, you shouldn't use anyone else's flannels or towels. 

If someone in your household has boils, their laundry should be washed separately, and ideally in a hot wash — at a minimum temperature setting of 60°C.

• People who are overweight are at greater risk of getting boils because they tend to occur where moist skin is rubbing against itself. Losing a few pounds can help. 

• In areas where skin friction leads to boils, dust on some talc to reduce moisture and chafing. (Alert Women should not use talc in the genital area. Talcum powder has been linked to ovarian cancer.) 

• Pressure on the skin can also lead to boils, which is why they so often crop up on the part of your body you sit upon. If you sit in a car a lot, consider getting a beaded seat pad, which allows air to circulate behind and beneath you.