Hi there,
Thanks for your query. Have you been shaving your armpits and private area? In that case, it is the infection in the hair roots, which swell up due to blockage of the openings. Take a short course of antibiotics and NSAIDs; use talcum powder at both places; keep these sites dry and change your panty daily, if you sweat a lot.

Dr. Karanwal

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Brief Answer:
A course of antibiotics is required for cure

Detailed Answer:
Hi there,

Thanks for writing back with more information.

* Yes, the boils most commonly are due to staph infection.

* Possible causes of recurrent boils are :

- Malnutrition : take well balanced diet.
- Exclude diabetes through Blood sugar examination.
- Inadequate duration of antibiotics used.
- Nowdays, Staph are resistant to most of the antibiotics. A wrong choice of antibiotics will fail to eradicate infection, which will recur in the form of boils.
- weak immune system.

* Further, as mentioned earlier, Staph bacteria are normal inhabitants of skin surface. Boils occur most commonly in hairy areas (such as armpits and pubic region), whenever there is a break in the skin due to friction. Hair removing cream too causes breach in the skin surface.

* Hence,
- avoid frequent use of hair removal cream; or, apply antiseptic ointment for 3-4 days after using hair removal cream.
- Do NOT squeeze the boils, since the pus in the boils is contagious.
- Use warm compresses several times daily.
- Maintain a proper hygiene of the sweaty and hairy areas; keep it dry.
- A course of suitable antibiotics is required to eradicate the Staph infection.

Please see you doctor, who will
- prescribe an adequate course of an effective antibiotic; pain-killers if required
- if necessary, remove the pus through a small XXXXXXX on the boils;
- order for tests to exclude diabetes;
- exclude causes of weak immune system, if any.

Hope I have answered your question. If you need further clarifications, I will be happy to answer.

Have a good health,

Dr. Rakesh Karanwal

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