How long should it take a large skin abscess of the buttocks to drain naturally? My husband is 35 years old, obese, and is diabetic. A boil began to develop a week and a day ago. Of course, it is filled with very foul smelling blood and pus. He tried hot showers to see if it would come to a head. It began to drain very slowly after the first day. Since he refuses to see a doctor, I've been helping to change the packs. The boil seemed to "ripen" three days ago and began to drain more productively. I do spray it with peroxide and I spread Neosporine triple antibiotic ointment on the gauze I bandage it with. But although the draining saturates the gauze and cotton pack after a few hours (and smells terribly), the boil seem to be healing at a snail"s pace. My husband also began taking erythromycin twice a day, which was prescribed previously for a dental issue. What advice would you give to expedite the healing process?