25th International Conference & Exhibition on Dermatology

Is It a Boil or a Pimple? Learn the Signs

By Derma 2018

Symptoms | Causes | Risk factors | Treatment | Prevention

All kinds of bumps and lumps can pop up on your skin. Sometimes when you notice a growth, it’s not immediately obvious what you have. A red or white-topped bump could be a pimple, but it might also be a boil. The two types of growths can look similar.

Keep reading to learn how to spot the difference between pimples and boils, and how to treat whichever one you have.

Symptoms

Acne  is one of the most common skin conditions. At any given time, up to 50 million Americanswill have some form of acne.

Acne comes in different sizes, shapes, and types. It often forms on the face, but you can also get breakouts on your neck, back, shoulders, and chest. There are a few kinds of acne and each looks different:

• Blackheads form at the skin’s surface and are open at the top. Visible dirt and dead skin cells inside the pore make it appear black.
• Whiteheads form deeper in the skin. They’re closed at the top and filled with pus, which makes them look white. Pus is a thick mixture of white blood cells and bacteria.
• Papules are larger, hard pink or red bumps that can feel sore when you touch them.
• Pustules are red, inflamed bumps that are filled with pus.
• Nodules are hard lumps that form deep inside the skin.
• Cysts are large, soft, and filled with pus.
• As pimples fade, they can leave dark spots on the skin. Sometimes acne can cause permanent scars, especially if you pop or pick at your skin.
• A boil is a red bump that is swollen and red around the outside. It slowly fills with pus and gets larger. You’re most likely to see boils in areas where you sweat or where your clothes rub against your skin, like your face, neck, underarms, buttocks, and thighs.
• Several boils can cluster together and form a growth called a carbuncle. A carbuncle is painful, and it can leave a permanent scar. Carbuncles sometimes cause flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, and chills.

Causes

Acne starts in pores. Pores are tiny holes in your skin that are the openings to hair follicles. These holes can fill with dead skin cells, which form a plug that traps oil, bacteria, and dirt inside. Bacteria make the pore swell up and turn red. Pus, a thick, white substance made up of bacteria and white blood cells, sometimes fills the pimple.

Boils also start in hair follicles. They’re caused by bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, which usually live harmlessly on the surface of your skin. Sometimes these bacteria can get inside the hair follicle and cause an infection. An open cut or injury gives bacteria an easier access route inside.

Risk factors

You may associate pimples with the teenage years, but you can get them at any age. An increasing number of adults today have been diagnosed with acne.

You’re more likely to get acne if you have hormone changes, such as during puberty and pregnancy, or when you start or stop taking birth control pills. And an increase in male hormones in both males and females causes the skin to produce more oil.

Some other causes of acne include:

• taking certain medicines, such as steroids, anti-seizure drugs, or lithium
• eating certain foods, including dairy and high-carb foods
• using cosmetic products that clog pores, which are considered comedogenic
• being under stress
• having parents who had acne, which tends to run in families
• Anyone can get a boil, but boils are most common among teens and young adults, especially males. Other risk factors include:
• having diabetes, which makes you more vulnerable to infections
• sharing towels, razors, or other personal hygiene items with someone who has a boil
• having eczema
• having a weakened immune system
• People who get acne are also more likely to get boils.

Dermatologists treat skin conditions like acne and boils. See a dermatologist for your acne if

 you have a lot of pimples over-the-counter treatments aren’t working you’re unhappy with the way you look, or the pimples are affecting your self-esteem. Small boils are pretty easy to treat on your own. But see a doctor if a boil:

• is on your face or spine
• is very painful
• is bigger than 2 inches across
• causes a fever
• doesn’t heal within a couple of weeks, or keeps coming back

Treatment

You can often treat pimples yourself with over-the-counter creams or washes you buy at a drugstore. Usually acne products contain ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, which stop your pores from getting clogged and kill bacteria on your skin.

Learn more: Acne treatment: Types, side effects, and more »

For more severe acne, your doctor can prescribe stronger medicines, such as:

1. antibiotics to kill bacteria
2. birth control pills to adjust your hormone levels if you are female
3. isotretinoin (Absorica, Zenatane), a form of vitamin A

If acne doesn’t improve with one of these treatments, your doctor might try:

• lasers or light therapy to reduce the amount of bacteria in your skin
• chemical peels
• drainage and extraction in which your doctor injects medicine into a cyst and then drains it.

You can treat small boils yourself by repeatedly applying a warm, wet washcloth. Eventually, the pus should drain out and cause the boil to shrink.

For larger boils, your doctor can cut a small hole and drain out the pus. You might also need to take antibiotics to treat the infection.

 Do not try cutting a hole in a boil yourself. This can lead to infection and scarring.