If you go to the dermatologist, they may lance and drain the boil, but this isn’t the same as popping your boil at home. A dermatologist is a medical professional with sterile equipment, so they can do this without causing further harm.
Don’t scrub the boil hard. You could cause irritation or break the skin. You don’t need strong soap either. Normal antibacterial soap will work fine. [5] X Trustworthy Source MedlinePlus Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine Go to source
This treatment won’t work right away. You’ll have to continue for 5-7 days in a row to bring the pus to the surface. [7] X Research source Stay patient and continue the heat treatment 3-4 times per day until the boil starts draining.
Put on a fresh bandage every time you wash or soak the boil to prevent infections. If you use a sticky bandage, make sure the adhesive part isn’t touching the boil.
You might be tempted to start squeezing the boil to get the rest of the pus out, but resist the urge. Let it come out naturally to avoid further infections or inflammation. If 3 days go by and the boil still seems inflamed or you see more pus in the wound, then keep applying the heat to get the rest of it out.
This is why keeping the boil covered is helpful. It prevents you from accidentally touching the boil and spreading bacteria.
It’s helpful to designate a few towels or washcloths as your boil-cleaning ones so you don’t get confused and use the wrong ones. This is a good way to avoid spreading the infection.
Hot water can damage some fabrics or cause colors to fade. Check the care label on all of your clothes and bedding to make sure using hot water is safe.
Using your own personal items is a good practice even if you don’t have a boil. It prevents all kinds of infections from spreading between people.
