Doctors' Digest

Chronic furunculosis: available treatments

A furuncle, or boil, is a small, red and tender lump on the skin caused by an acute bacterial infection that takes hold in a hair follicle. If you are told you have chronic furunculosis, this means that you have a multiple crop of boils, which can be very unpleasant. Chronic furunculosis is an ongoing condition where boils recur over time, either continuously or at intervals. Chronic furunculosis is often a painful and sometimes embarrassing health problem but there are things that you can do to reduce or prevent the symptoms of chronic furunculosis by eliminating the bacterial cause of the boils. Dealing with chronic furunculosis means keeping up with self-help treatments, as well as following your doctor’s advice on medical treatments. This article on the treatment of chronic furunculosis is by Kathryn Senior, a freelance journalist who writes health, medical, biological, and pharmaceutical articles for national and international journals, newsletters and web sites.