Furuncle in a child, treatment, causes, what to do? Boils in children: causes and treatment: Small pustules appear on the child’s hands

Boils in newborns are not uncommon. If this disease is detected, you need to urgently seek help from doctors. The main thing is that the new mother should not be nervous, since there is a risk that the milk will disappear.

What is a boil?

A furuncle is a formation on the skin of a purulent-inflammatory nature. This inflammation affects the hair follicle and the skin around it. Externally, this process looks like redness on the body and subsequently the formation of a pustular core in the center of the boil.

Inflammation is accompanied by very painful sensations. One of the consequences of the formation of a boil is intoxication of the body. The child may experience headaches, fever, and even muscle aches. The baby begins to be capricious a lot and sleeps very little.

Why does a newborn develop a boil?

Boils often appear due to poor skin hygiene. Another reason is a local or general decrease in human immunity. But boils can still make themselves felt even with sufficient and proper care for the baby. The reason is that the child has not yet developed perfect immunity; the body is not able to protect the baby from microbes that are quite familiar to an adult. This also affects the methods of infection: inflammation upon contact can be transmitted from an adult to a child.

They provoke the appearance of boils and staphylococci. If the child is generally healthy, then a boil will not be a serious problem for him. But you should not allow the infection to continue – this can seriously affect the baby’s body and cause a serious illness.

A boil appears not only as a separate inflammatory process, but also as an accompanying phenomenon for other diseases: diabetes mellitus, congenital immunodeficiency (when the necessary antibodies are not transferred to the child from the mother), pemphigus of the newborn, and so on. Occasionally, a boil becomes a reaction of the body to various hormonal drugs.

How to treat a boil in a baby?

Treatment of a boil in an infant is no different from the therapy prescribed for an adult. Since it is almost impossible to force a child to take a pill, children are prescribed injections. If the boil does not affect the general condition of the newborn, treatment begins with local treatment of the source of inflammation. In some cases, boils open on their own, without medical intervention.

Doctors advise treating the boil with an antiseptic and prescribing antibacterial compresses based on ointments. The source of inflammation cannot be treated with iodine, as there is a risk of a burn on the child’s skin. In addition, iodine often causes an allergic reaction in infants.

If the boil does not open on its own and does not go away, doctors open it. Under no circumstances should you open a child’s abscess yourself.. If not handled correctly, it can cause the pus to break through and enter the body. One possible consequence is sepsis. This is a very serious complication from various purulent diseases and infectious diseases. Sepsis is characterized by the presence of a microbe in the blood and contamination of all tissues and organs of the body. If this happens to a baby, the situation often leads to death.

Prevention of furunculosis in newborns

There are several simple rules that must be followed in order to prevent the appearance of a boil in a baby. Before holding a baby, anyone should wash their hands well with soap. Your child’s underwear needs to be changed every day, and after washing, be sure to iron it on both sides.

Since every person’s mouth contains a huge number of different microbes, kissing your baby from head to toe is also not worth it. If you use foam, shampoo or baby soap while bathing your baby, then after all procedures you need to lubricate the skin with baby cream.

The appearance of boils in children is always accompanied by pain and deterioration in the general condition of the children. An abscess on the skin is far from being as harmless as it might seem at first glance. Why boils form and how to treat them, we will tell you in this material.

What it is?

Acute purulent inflammation of the hair follicle, the adjacent sebaceous gland and neighboring tissues is called a boil in medicine, and People call this disease “boil”. It is popularly believed that such ulcers appear due to a cold or hypothermia. This is a common misconception. Boil is always closely related to the activity of pathogenic pyogenic bacteria.

Boils can appear on any part of the body. They can have different sizes. Several boils that appear one after another indicate that the child has furunculosis.

Many adults tend to underestimate the danger of boils. When they see such a painful phenomenon on a child’s skin, some mothers and fathers completely rely on their experience and traditional medicine recipes. However, it should be remembered that furunculosis is a manifestation of staphylococcal infection, which can be complicated by sepsis, toxic shock, purulent inflammation of various organs, including the brain. This can lead to disability and even death. That is why it is important not to self-medicate, not to make the child suffer, because the boil is very painful, but to immediately consult a doctor.

Reasons for appearance

The main cause of boils is staphylococcus microbes. In 99% of cases, the causative agent is a specific representative of this genus of bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus. In 1% of cases, epidermal staphylococcus is to blame for inflammation of the hair follicle.

Staphylococcus aureus lives and thrives on the skin and mucous membranes of almost every person. More than 40% of adults are asymptomatic carriers of staphylococcal infection. However, not everyone suffers from furunculosis. The disease develops when the immune system is unable to contain the activity of the microbe.

For a boil to appear, it is important that several other factors “successfully” coincide with the weakness of the immune system, which will allow the microbe to feel “at home”:

the skin is injured - there are abrasions, scratches, microcracks, injection sites;
the skin is poorly cared for - it is contaminated, and, in addition to staphylococcus, there are several other varieties of not the most harmless pathogenic microorganisms on it;
the child has acne associated with blockage of the ducts of the sebaceous glands;
the child suffers from allergies with skin manifestations (atopic dermatitis, allergic dermatitis);

the child has any chronic diseases and especially diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, dysbacteriosis;
the child has previously been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus;
the baby has confirmed neurological diagnoses;
there is malnutrition due to poor nutrition, insufficient nutrition, lack of vitamins and microelements, blood tests show anemia;
the child has increased physical activity (this also applies to children who engage in professional sports).

The cold, which is almost always blamed for the occurrence of the next boil, has nothing to do with furunculosis.

But there is some connection between decreased immunity and hypothermia. Probably, it was this that was once noticed among the people and began to be considered the main reason. With the same success, a boil can appear after overheating in the sun, because any thermal effects somewhat reduce the child’s immune defense.

It is this moment that staphylococcus is “waiting for”, which, taking advantage of the fact that it is not restrained by the immune system, penetrates into a microcrack in the skin, into a clogged sebaceous gland, into a wound or abrasion, and settles there. In the process of reproduction and life, staphylococcus releases a large amount of toxins and enzymes that cause a general deterioration in health.

Staphylococcus infects tissues with abundant formation of pus, as well as necrosis of some tissues. When all this accumulates under the skin, the same boil is formed, which looks quite scary and feels quite painful.

Symptoms

It is quite easy to distinguish a boil from a pimple or an allergic reaction. The boil develops quite quickly, and from the second day the so-called necrotic core is visible in it. Furunculosis usually begins with the appearance of a single inflammatory element.

The boil goes through three stages in its development - first there is infiltration, then suppuration, and scarring after opening:

First stage(infiltration) is manifested by the appearance of compaction. It takes the form of a red lump protruding above the surface of the skin, painful to the touch. A distinctive feature of a boil is that at this stage it quickly increases in size, within a few hours neighboring tissues are affected, swelling appears, the temperature may rise, the child’s behavior changes, he becomes lethargic and weak.
At the second stage intense suppuration occurs, the boil continues to grow, but not in breadth, but in height, as the purulent head “swells.” The color of the skin next to it may change - from reddish to purple and even dark brown. This is due to the fact that in addition to pus, inside the head there is a layer of tissue that has undergone necrosis (death). At the time of suppuration, the temperature rises in almost all children; it can reach quite serious values - up to 38.0 degrees and above, and the lymph nodes enlarge. The boil itself becomes incredibly painful, the child does not allow him to touch it. If an unpleasant boil “pops up” on the butt, the child cannot sit; if it is on the leg, on the knee, walking becomes difficult, because the clothes rub against the skin and cause acute pain. Boils that occur under the armpit, in the nose, or on the lip are very painful.

The child will feel somewhat lighter only after How does the pus come out?. The entire life cycle of a boil takes approximately 7-14 days. After opening, a hole is formed, a depression that is gradually overgrown with tissue and smoothed out. Traces of deep boils can persist for life.

When ulcers appear alternately or simultaneously, they speak of furunculosis, and if the subcutaneous tissue and skin around a group of hair follicles become inflamed, then such inflammation is called a carbuncle.

Danger

The most dangerous are boils that appear on the face - on the cheek, on the nose, on the eyelid, in the ear, on the scalp, on the neck, since this location creates additional risks of infection of the brain and the development of sepsis.

Any boil located on the body, arm, leg, close to blood vessels or lymph nodes is potentially dangerous from the point of view of the development of sepsis, because pus that gets into the blood or lymph flow will quickly spread throughout the body.

Many do not understand how pus can penetrate there, but this gap in knowledge is restored simply - it breaks through where it is thin. If the boil is superficial, the pus will come up and out. If the boil is deep, then the breakthrough may be internal, and this will be the main prerequisite for systemic infection.

A boil in an infant and a newborn is a double danger, and therefore it is customary to treat such children in a hospital. Older children may be left to treat themselves at home.

Treatment

Boils can be treated using conservative methods and surgery. Quite often it is possible to do without an opening operation if the boil is not deep, unless we are talking about extensive furunculosis.

Drug treatment

The goal of therapy in this case is to make the maturation of the boil faster, because the processes of infiltration and suppuration themselves are painful for the child.

The maturation of the purulent head is accelerated by:

“Zvezdochka” is an ointment known to many generations (trade name – “Golden Star”);

Vishnevsky ointment;

At the final stage, after the pus has drained, the same antimicrobial ointments and lotions with a hypertonic solution are used.

If boils appear on the face or neck, internal antibiotics must be prescribed with active local treatment. Extensive furunculosis, especially in an infant, requires the administration of antibacterial drugs intravenously. For internal use, children are prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics - the penicillin group, and if they turn out to be ineffective, then antibiotics - cephalosporins, macrolides. Preparations based on erythromycin are very effective - “Azithromycin”, “Clarithromycin”.

Much depends on what staphylococcus affected the baby. If the inflammation is caused by an antibiotic-resistant hospital strain of Staphylococcus aureus, then the selection of an antibacterial drug will be significantly difficult, because it is incredibly difficult to destroy such an infection even with the modern level of development of medicine.

Immunoglobulins or anti-staphylococcal plasma - immunomodulators - can be prescribed as auxiliary therapy. They are administered in a hospital for severe forms of infection. When treating at home, the doctor may recommend Polyoxidonium or Derinat. When treating a boil, it is always useful to introduce vitamins to your child. Particular importance is given to vitamins A, E, C, B1 and B 12, as well as PP.

Surgery

Forced opening of a boil is indicated when the doctor has every reason to believe that complications are possible, when the boil has formed in a “dangerous” place or its treatment with medications for 5 days has not given a positive result - the pus has not drained.

The operation is simple - the surgeon, under local anesthesia, makes an incision in the shape of a cross, carefully cleans out the contents, including pus and necrotic fragments.

Sometimes it is not possible to do this completely, then the doctor leaves a small drainage in the cruciform wound to drain the pus.

Disinfectants are applied to the intervention site and a sterile bandage is applied. You will have to go to the clinic for dressings if the child is allowed treatment at home. It is not worth treating boils with onions, honey and warm compresses boiled in milk, as some traditional healers advise; excessive heating can only be beneficial at the very early stage of the disease, when it is necessary to accelerate suppuration.

During other periods, any warming up is extremely dangerous for the health and life of the baby.

It is even more dangerous to open the boils yourself and squeeze out the purulent contents from them. In conditions of lack of sterility, the likelihood of developing multiple furunculosis, as well as systemic blood infection, increases. Any manipulations with boils should be carried out only in a hospital.

Prevention

Proper hygiene. The child's skin should be clean. But excessive washing with soap dries the skin, which increases the likelihood of microtrauma. Therefore, you should bathe your child with baby soap no more than once a day, and babies - no more than once a week. It makes sense to use bactericidal soap only if purulent masses have come into contact with the child’s skin.

Timely treatment. All abrasions, scratches and wounds must be treated in a timely manner with aniline dyes, which include “zelenka” and “Fukortsin”.
Strengthening the immune system. This can easily include hardening, a complete and balanced diet rich in vitamins and microelements, a sufficient amount of walks in the fresh air, an active lifestyle, and playing sports.

Dr. Komarovsky will tell you what staphylococcus is in the next video.

This article was checked and edited by Vladimir Alekseevich Anokhin, professor, doctor of medical sciences, head of the department of childhood infections of Kazan State Medical University.

In children, especially during puberty, pustular rashes often appear. For the most part, they are not dangerous and go away on their own over time (after stabilization of hormonal levels). This is acne or in common parlance pimples, blackheads. However, there are more serious skin pathologies that require mandatory treatment. We are talking about boils. A boil in a child without adequate treatment can result in serious consequences.

If the formation of acne is explained by the accumulation of sebaceous secretions (changes always affect the excretory ducts of the sebaceous glands), then with furunculosis, suppuration forms around the hair follicle and, after some time, covers the surrounding tissues. When acne develops, changes affect the most superficial tissues of the skin, so the skin itself and subcutaneous tissue do not undergo serious changes. And they are caused by propionobacteria living in abundance on the skin.

Boils are associated with other bacteria - staphylococci and streptococci. Inflammation during furunculosis (as this disease is called) is associated with damage to the deep layers of the skin and its appendages - hair follicles. Hypothermia, dirt and bacteria accidentally introduced into the skin are the most common scenario for the development of a boil. The skin is actively supplied with blood. Therefore, the influx of blood leukocytes into the contaminated area quickly leads to the formation of swelling, redness and stretching of the inflammatory zone, which is necessarily accompanied by a pain reaction. The affected area is dense and, as a rule, itchy and itchy. Leukocytes entering the area of inflammation cause melting of the skin area, and purulent-necrotic masses come out through this defect. Next comes the healing process, granulation of the affected area.

But a single boil is not as dangerous as multiple boils - furunculosis. Treatment is carried out under the supervision of a doctor and the child is placed in a hospital.

What causes the disease

An abscess can appear on the stomach, back, arms, groin - on any part of the body that has hair follicles. The most dangerous location of boils is on the head and neck.

If a boil is found in the ear, nose, eye or lip, you need to be treated immediately; complications can be very serious.

The causative agents of the pathology are opportunistic microorganisms - Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. They are part of the normal microflora, but under the influence of certain negative factors they are activated, their numbers are rapidly growing, and as a result of this vital activity, suppuration is formed.

So what are the reasons for the appearance of such a dangerous neoplasm? Scientists have identified many factors that can provoke the disease:

skin injuries - through them the infection gets inside;
lack of proper, regular hygiene;
dysfunction of metabolic processes;
the presence of endocrine diseases;
chronic or acute infections;
hypothermia or, on the contrary, overheating;
abuse of steroid drugs;
poor nutrition.

Most often, infection in children occurs due to scratching the skin with unwashed hands, but not all children develop boils as a result of this. All of the above reasons can provoke an illness only against the background of reduced immunity; in this case, the body is simply not able to cope with the infection on its own, and therefore the child develops a boil.

It is better to avoid self-medication; at the first symptoms of suppuration, consult a doctor.

Signs and stages

Without knowing how a boil develops, it can easily be confused with an ordinary pimple. In this case, parents do not carry out treatment, exposing the baby to the risk of all sorts of complications.

You can recognize a boil in children by the following signs:

a future boil always forms around the hair follicle;
the localization site is red and painful;
upon palpation, a rather dense node (infiltrate) is felt;
possible increase in temperature (up to 38-39 degrees);
the affected area itches and a tingling sensation is felt.

These are common symptoms of the initial stage of the disease (infiltrative), which cannot be ignored. Next comes the second stage of development of the boil - purulent-necrotic masses are formed:

inflammation spreads to surrounding tissues, sebaceous glands;
the size of the abscess increases and can reach 5 cm;
yellow-green masses are visible in the center of the pustule;
melting of the boil tissue is observed - fistula openings appear.

Such symptoms indicate that the boil is ready for self-cleaning - this is the third stage - opening of the abscess and its healing:

the thin skin on the surface of the boil bursts;
purulent exudate comes out;
Inside the opened ulcer, necrotic masses (the core of the abscess) are visible - do not try to squeeze it out, it will come off on its own.

After cleansing, the cavity is filled with granulations - the wound healing process begins. At first, the affected tissues acquire a purplish-blue tint, but over time they lighten, leaving an inconspicuous scar.

From the appearance of the first symptoms to the opening of a boil in a child (as well as in an adult), 7-10 days pass, sometimes longer.

A boil must go through all three stages of development - infiltrative, purulent and restorative. Never open an abscess yourself, especially prematurely, the consequences can be disastrous.

Possible complications

Without adequate treatment, a pathological abscess can provoke serious complications, especially when the boil is localized in the nasolabial triangle, neck, eye, or ear canal.

With this location, the infection from the boil can penetrate the bloodstream and spread to the brain, causing meningitis, sepsis or other pathologies often resulting in death. If treatment is untimely or inadequate, the following complications are possible - thrombosis, abscess, phlebitis, pyelonephritis, erysipelas, lymphadenitis.

When localized to the eye, the disease can lead to loss of vision. An abscess located in the ear can deprive the baby of hearing. In addition, advanced pathology often develops into a chronic disease with extensive skin damage. It is quite difficult to treat furunculosis in children; the disease is prone to frequent relapses and the spread of infection to internal organs.

To avoid negative consequences, it is necessary to consult a doctor in time and undergo the treatment prescribed by him.

Diagnostics

Usually, to make a diagnosis, it is enough for a doctor to examine the patient, but in some cases laboratory and instrumental studies are performed.

So, in case of severe disease, a CT or MRI, ultrasound are performed, and the following is performed:

biochemical analysis of blood, urine;
bacterial culture of the contents of the pustule;
dermoscopic examination.

Sometimes a small patient requires additional examination by specialists with a narrow focus - for example, if a boil is localized on the eye, a consultation with an ophthalmologist is needed. Based on the results obtained, treatment is prescribed.

Traditional therapy

The doctor will determine how to treat the boil based on the severity of the disease. In an uncomplicated form of the disease (a single boil), no specific therapy is required - the main thing is to wait for the abscess to spontaneously open, and then treat the wound with an antiseptic solution (furacilin, hydrogen peroxide, iodine).

You can speed up the process of maturation of the abscess by applying Vishnevsky or Ichthyol ointment, Shostakovsky balm and other drugs that draw out pus to the site of the lesion. Such manipulations will shorten the period of illness by several days.

If an already mature boil cannot break through on its own, the doctor pierces a thin layer of skin on its surface and releases the pathogenic exudate out. If the neoplasm is large, silicone drainage is introduced into its cavity, which improves the outflow of contents. After 2-3 days, the wound is disinfected and a bandage is applied with antibacterial ointment (Levomekol, Fucidin, Bactroban, others). To avoid complications, follow all recommendations of your doctor.

Treatment of chronic furunculosis is carried out with systemic antibiotics. Immunomodulatory medications and vitamins are also prescribed.

In addition, it is necessary to treat concomitant pathologies.

Antibiotics. If the abscess is deeply localized, the affected area is injected with antibacterial drugs - this will prevent further spread of the infection and reverse the pathological process. In case of multiple contamination, medications are taken orally or administered intramuscularly (Azithromycin, Sumamed, Ceftriaxone).
Vitamin therapy. Most often, children are prescribed oral intake of vitamins A, B1, B2, C, PP, but intramuscular administration may also be recommended.
Immunomodulators. Drugs that stimulate the immune system are taken strictly according to the regimen prescribed by the doctor (Interferon, Myelopid, Seramil).

In addition, physiotherapy (Ural irradiation, UHF, laser treatment) can be used for therapeutic purposes. In case of deep abscesses, surgical opening of the abscess can be performed, since the risk of an abscess breaking into the anatomical cavities in this case increases.

Traditional methods

For children, it is permissible to use non-traditional means of treatment only after consulting a doctor. Single boils with an uncomplicated course can be cured using the following recipes from traditional healers:

applying dry heat (heated salt or egg) to it;
baked or boiled onion in milk will draw out the purulent contents - grind it into a paste and apply to the affected area;
aloe pulp in the form of a compress is applied to the boil and left overnight;
slightly beaten cabbage leaves - they are tied to the site of the abscess;
make an ointment from baked onions, brown laundry soap and honey - mix everything in equal proportions and treat the abscess.

All these manipulations will speed up the process of maturation of the abscess. After opening it, be sure to treat the wound with an antiseptic solution or use an infusion of chamomile, calendula, or St. John's wort. You can also use aloe or Kalanchoe juice.

Doctors point to many reasons that contribute to the development of this disease on children's skin. The appearance of a boil is caused by the following factors:

non-compliance with hygiene rules regarding keeping the skin clean;
splinters, abrasions, scratches and other skin microtraumas;
nutritional imbalance;
weak immunity;
increased sweating;
metabolic disorders;
lack of one or more vitamins in the body;
prolonged stay in a poorly ventilated room;
diabetes;
disorders in the endocrine system;
the reason for the development of a boil in the nose is frequent runny nose and picking in the nasal passages;
hypothermia or overheating of the body;
glucocorticosteroid medications have been taken for a long time;
tuberculosis, hepatitis and other infections;
ingrown hairs;
tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and other severe illnesses;
stress.

When a boil appears on the skin of an infant, responsibility most often lies with the parents. Usually it is the negligence of parents that causes the development of furunculosis.

After a pimple appears, moms and dads need to think about the root causes of this phenomenon and avoid making similar mistakes in the future. If you cannot avoid a boil, then you need to contact your pediatrician.

Parents cannot always distinguish furunculosis from other skin diseases.

Reasons for appearance

The main cause of furunculosis in a child under one year of age is staphylococcus getting into a minor injury to the skin and multiplying there. The reproduction process leads to pustules of the hair follicle and tissues adjacent to it.

But why does furunculosis not appear in all children, who always come home with minor wounds during every walk? In addition, staphylococcus is not such a rare pathogenic microorganism that it would cause a boil in one child, but not in thousands of others.

The main cause of boils is staphylococcus microbes. In 99% of cases, the causative agent is a specific representative of this genus of bacteria - Staphylococcus aureus. In 1% of cases, epidermal staphylococcus is to blame for inflammation of the hair follicle.

For a boil to appear, it is important that several other factors “successfully” coincide with the weakness of the immune system, which will allow the microbe to feel “at home”:

the skin is injured - there are abrasions, scratches, microcracks, injection sites;
the skin is poorly cared for - it is contaminated, and, in addition to staphylococcus, there are several other varieties of not the most harmless pathogenic microorganisms on it;
the child has acne associated with blockage of the ducts of the sebaceous glands;
the child suffers from allergies with skin manifestations (atopic dermatitis, allergic dermatitis);

the child has any chronic diseases and especially diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, dysbacteriosis;
the child has previously been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus;
the baby has confirmed neurological diagnoses;
there is malnutrition due to poor nutrition, insufficient nutrition, lack of vitamins and microelements, blood tests show anemia;
the child has increased physical activity (this also applies to children who engage in professional sports).

Not every child’s body is capable of destroying bacteria. The following causes of illness in a child are identified:

Weakened immunity;
Disruption of the endocrine system;
Emotional stress;
Stress.

The main reason that can lead to the development of a boil in a child is a bacterial infection getting under the skin. This can be caused by skin microtraumas, the child’s failure to comply with personal hygiene rules, and weakened immunity.

Children often get sick with furunculosis after hypothermia, or furunculosis develops in parallel with severe diseases such as tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.

The microbe most often provokes the development of furunculosis in a child is staphylococcus. Much less commonly, the causative agent is streptococcus.

hypothermia,
dirt
or chafing on the skin.

Furunculosis in children is a fairly common skin disease caused by representatives of purulent microbial flora - staphylococci. The appearance of numerous boils on a child’s skin is not only an unpleasant cosmetic defect, but also evidence of serious disturbances in the functioning of the entire body.

Causes of the disease

The causative agents of furunculosis - staphylococci - are constantly present on the skin, on surrounding household items and in the external environment. In order for furunculosis to develop, there must be predisposing factors that significantly reduce the immune defenses of the child’s body. Among them are:

A boil is a purulent inflammation that appears on any part of the body. Its appearance is known to everyone and it will not be difficult to determine that your child has a boil.

Children are the flowers of life, they are our hope for the future. That is why it is necessary to monitor their health from early childhood and immediately eliminate all diseases in order to prevent the child’s body from possible complications and consequences.

Causes of boils on the skin in children

The causes of the disease are

hypothermia,
dirt
or chafing on the skin.

Types of boils depending on their location

Quite often, a boil forms in a child on the leg, as well as on the butt, which is associated with the action of external factors (tight clothing, frequent injury). The location of the inflammation on the butt causes babies a lot of discomfort and pain.

This is one of the good reasons to immediately begin treating this disease. When it appears on the leg, it is also important to follow all safety measures to prevent additional injury.

Furuncle - what are the signs of inflammation?

Symptoms

A boil looks like an inflamed nodule with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm (sometimes more), often painful, at the top of which there is an abscess. The skin above it first turns red and then acquires a bluish-burgundy color.

When the boil is opened, pus is released and the core, which is a conglomerate of dead tissue, becomes visible. When the rod and pus mixed with blood are rejected, an ulcer is formed, which heals after the formation of a scar.

The pain at the site of the boil can be very severe, which causes a lot of trouble for both the child and the parents. Because of it, sleep can be disturbed, body temperature sometimes rises, and the baby’s well-being noticeably worsens.

After opening the boil, your health improves significantly and your body temperature returns to normal.

Parents often confuse an ordinary pimple on their baby's body with a boil. This mistake sometimes leads to disastrous results. Mothers think that this is an ordinary pimple and wait for it to disappear on its own, but this does not happen. What symptoms can be used to diagnose a boil?

At first, a slight redness appears on the skin, which increases over time. The skin around it thickens.

Inside the boils there is pus, it surrounds a dense core - a collection of staphylococcus bacteria. Its rupture can lead to an exacerbation of the disease.

In addition, boils are very painful and interfere with the child’s normal life.

The development of a boil goes through several stages, the duration of which can be several days.

Boils can appear on any part of the body (on the abdomen, back, buttocks, etc.), but the most favorite locations are the face and neck.

As the boil matures, it undergoes certain phases of changes, which are characterized by the following manifestations:

in the initial stage, a pustule is formed, gradually turning into an infiltrate, which, in turn, becomes dense and grows;
then a purulent-necrotic process develops, melting the pustule, and a rod appears in the central part;
after a few days, the necrotic areas of tissue are rejected, and the wound gradually clears, followed by scarring of the boil. With a large formation, a small scar remains in this place.

A boil in a child, just like in an adult, is accompanied by pain, hyperemia around the neoplasm and symptoms of general intoxication with increased weakness, children’s refusal to eat, moodiness and causeless crying.

However, with timely intervention, furunculosis in children can be cured fairly quickly.

Diagnostics

In the absence of medical experience, a disease such as a boil can easily be confused with more serious infections - tuberculosis, erythema, anthrax and other diseases. To correctly diagnose, the doctor uses the following methods:

visual inspection;
blood and urine tests;
dermatoscopy;
fluorography;
bacteriological culture;
ultrasonography.

It is not difficult to diagnose furunculosis. It is characterized by several rashes, each of which resembles a large pimple.

If a child has one inflammation replaced by another, then to determine the causes of this phenomenon, it is recommended to take a blood test. Furunculosis can be a consequence of a serious disease, for example, diabetes.

Treatment

For minor injuries and abrasions, treat the skin with a solution of brilliant green or iodine and prevent infection by applying a bactericidal patch.

Treat the surface with antiseptics. Treatment of the disease does not depend on whether the child is 2-3 years old or a baby under one year old. All therapy is based on the mandatory prescription of a drug such as an antibiotic, drugs that help strengthen the immune system, and multivitamin complexes.

Furunculosis detected in a child, as well as a separate boil, require the use of the correct treatment regimen. Usually, if one boil is detected in children, then a course of antibacterial therapy is not prescribed.

It will be enough to wait until the infiltrate fully matures and the purulent core comes out. After this, disinfectant solutions are used to treat the wound, and the healing process is accelerated by the use of anti-inflammatory ointments.

Self-treatment of an identified boil in a child can only be carried out if there is no fever, general health does not suffer and the area of inflammation does not spread far to the surrounding tissues. It is necessary to consult a doctor about the principles of treatment of furunculosis in very young children.

Even an infant can have furunculosis. What to do? How to treat? How to treat? Are antibiotics needed?

The first thing parents who have encountered this need to know is that under no circumstances should the boil be squeezed out or pierced to clean the affected area. There may be complications that you cannot cope with on your own.

Do not rush to resort to self-medication. If there is early evidence of inflammation, you should definitely show your child to a doctor.

If he is not a year old, there should be no room for delay. After the examination, the doctor will conclude how and with what to treat the problem.

The sooner parents react, the cheaper the treatment will be. At the first signs of inflammation, before pus forms, it can be removed with ultraviolet light.

There are cases of inflammation in the nasal cavity. These are hard-to-reach places, but the doctor will tell you what to do in this case.

If the boil is ripe, then the doctor himself will prescribe the antibiotics that will be most suitable. These may be drugs for injections.

Ichthyol ointment is also attributed. It should be applied twice every day to the inflamed area in children.

You must strictly follow the instructions from the ointment manufacturer. All this is done until the boil breaks through.

After a breakthrough, the area must be treated with a special solution - furatsilin or hydrogen peroxide. Then - a bandage with sodium chloride.

One thing to remember is that there is no need to attempt to remove the rod from the boil. This will only worsen the situation and prolong the treatment. There is no need to create additional inconveniences and problems for yourself.

Boils can be treated using conservative methods and surgery. Quite often it is possible to do without an opening operation if the boil is not deep, unless we are talking about extensive furunculosis.

Drug treatment

The goal of therapy in this case is to make the maturation of the boil faster, because the processes of infiltration and suppuration themselves are painful for the child.

The maturation of the purulent head is accelerated by:

“Zvezdochka” is an ointment known to many generations (trade name – “Golden Star”);

"Ichthyol ointment";
Balsam "Vinilin".

The breakthrough of a boil can be successfully provoked by ointments with antibacterial properties:

"Levomekol";
"Bactroban";
"Fucidin."

At the final stage, after the pus has drained, the same antimicrobial ointments and lotions with a hypertonic solution are used.

For internal use, children are prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics - the penicillin group, and if they are ineffective, then antibiotics - cephalosporins, macrolides.

Erythromycin-based drugs - Azithromycin, Clarithromycin - are very effective.

Immunoglobulins or anti-staphylococcal plasma - immunomodulators - can be prescribed as auxiliary therapy. They are administered in a hospital for severe forms of infection. When treating at home, the doctor may recommend Polyoxidonium or Derinat. When treating a boil, it is always useful to introduce vitamins to your child. Particular importance is given to vitamins A, E, C, B1 and B 12, as well as PP.

Surgery

The operation is simple - the surgeon, under local anesthesia, makes an incision in the shape of a cross, carefully cleans out the contents, including pus and necrotic fragments.

Sometimes it is not possible to do this completely, then the doctor leaves a small drainage in the cruciform wound to drain the pus.

If you notice boils in your children, you should immediately consult a doctor. Treatment should not be delayed under any circumstances, because the consequences can be very sad.

In a child, purulent inflammation of the skin progresses much faster than in adults and reaches the final stage of development in a much shorter period of time. If this moment is not followed, then all sorts of complications can befall your child’s fragile body.

The losses may be irreparable.

In order to avoid all this, you should immediately contact a surgeon for help. The opening of a boil in a child occurs under anesthesia. In order to be confident in the quality of the operation, you should contact a high-level specialist.

Features of the treatment of boils at the initial stage of the disease in children

The boil, like any purulent skin disease, is at an early stage of its development

is being formed
then develops
increases in size
accumulates pus
and opens up.

In order to speed up this process, you can apply ichthyol-based compresses to your child. This ointment does not contain chemicals that may be harmful to the child.

The main thing is that you should not try to squeeze out or remove the pus yourself. This can lead to the child contracting furunculosis.

And getting rid of it is much more difficult than getting rid of a single boil. After the pus is removed, you need to disinfect the wound and smear it with ichthyol for a few more days.

This will help you avoid relapse.

In the initial stage, a bandage with Vishnevsky ointment, Tar ointment or Levomekol will help. This way the boil will quickly mature and open without complications.

However, you need to find out the reasons for the appearance of the boil so that it does not reappear. In such cases, you need to contact a specialist who will do the necessary examinations.

Physiotherapy is often prescribed.

Complications

Sepsis. Believe me, it is better for you not to see phlegmon. Furunculosis in children is a serious pathology that signals problems occurring, primarily in the child’s immune system.

Therefore, it is important to immediately consult a doctor, regardless of its location, and not wait for everything to go away on its own.

The main task in the development of this pathology in children is to cure the disease, since relapses are not uncommon, and complications are sometimes very dangerous.

Treatment must be comprehensive, consisting of both local drugs (medicinal ointments) and general ones (Antibiotics, immunity agents). It is also important to perform all manipulations under the supervision of a doctor, and after recovery to prevent the possible reappearance of purulent foci.

The following activities will help with this:

Furunculosis during long-term treatment can have complications:

If treatment of furunculosis in children does not produce results, then this problem can lead to serious complications:

chronic relapses;
inflammation of the lymph nodes;
inflammation of adipose tissue;
abscess.

Prevention

Proper hygiene. The child's skin should be clean. But excessive washing with soap dries the skin, which increases the likelihood of microtrauma. Therefore, you should bathe your child with baby soap no more than once a day, and babies - no more than once a week. It makes sense to use bactericidal soap only if purulent masses have come into contact with the child’s skin.

Timely treatment. All abrasions, scratches and wounds must be treated in a timely manner with aniline dyes, which include “zelenka” and “Fukortsin”.
Strengthening the immune system. This can easily include hardening, a complete and balanced diet rich in vitamins and microelements, a sufficient amount of walks in the fresh air, an active lifestyle, and playing sports.

Dr. Komarovsky will tell you what staphylococcus is in the next video.

Make sure your children wash their hands regularly and use a clean or disposable towel.
Change the bedding in your baby's room at least once a week.
Try to ensure that his underwear is heat treated with a hot iron.
Do not neglect vitamin complexes for children.
Treat wounds with disinfectants in a timely manner.

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Small pustules - pimples - often appear on the skin of children, especially teenagers. This is unpleasant, but completely treatable and, in essence, harmless. Much more dangerous is the appearance of a large abscess in the thickness of the skin - a boil. It forms around the hair follicle, spreading to the surrounding tissue.

If the boils become multiple, appearing one after another, this phenomenon is already called furunculosis. This pustular disease brings significant suffering to the child, and if left untreated, it can have serious consequences for the health and even the life of the baby.

What is the reason for the development of furunculosis?

The causes of furunculosis are multiple.

Suppuration, in essence, causes, which is normally found on the mucous membrane of the nose and intestines, without causing any painful phenomena. If it gets on the skin, this microorganism can penetrate deep into it (if there is an entrance gate: scratches, abrasions and other microtraumas) and cause an inflammatory process.

But many children have skin microtraumas and, however, they do not develop any boils! Consequently, the mechanism of formation of this disease is not so simple.

Factors contributing to the occurrence of furunculosis are divided into local and general. According to researchers, only a combination of factors from the first and second groups can lead to the development of furunculosis.

Local risk factors:

abrasions, scratches, abrasions, scratching of the skin, that is, a violation of the integrity of the skin;
skin contamination, non-compliance with hygiene standards;
blockage of the excretory duct of the sebaceous gland;
allergic skin diseases.

General risk factors:

decreased immunity;
chronic diseases of the digestive tract, including;
process disruptions;
endocrine diseases (and others);
diseases of the nervous system;
(anemia);
physical exhaustion due to poor nutrition (hypotrophy in young children and anorexia in adolescents);
regular physical fatigue (for example, among schoolchildren who are overly active in sports);
frequent overheating or, conversely, hypothermia;
condition after suffering serious illnesses.

Recently, in addition, varieties of Staphylococcus aureus have been identified that successfully resist the protective effect of the immune system. Researchers believe that furunculosis occurs in children who are carriers of these particular strains of staphylococcus.

Symptoms of furunculosis

Furunculosis in a child often begins with the formation of one boil on the body.

Usually, a single boil first appears on a child’s skin, going through 3 stages in its development:

infiltration;
suppuration;
healing.

Infiltration manifested by the appearance on the skin in one place or another (often in places of microtrauma) of a dense, painful tubercle of intense red color. The tubercle gradually increases in size, swelling of the surrounding tissues appears, and pain increases. The child's body temperature rises.

Suppuration characterized by the growth of a boil up to 1-3-5 cm in diameter; the tubercle takes on a cone-shaped shape, and its apex becomes a pustule: a vesicle with purulent contents. Under it, in the center of the boil, invisible from the outside, there is a “plug” of tissue that has undergone purulent-necrotic decay.

The child’s general condition deteriorates sharply, the temperature rises to 38° and above. General weakness and: these are symptoms of intoxication. The pain in the area of the boil becomes sharp, the child does not allow him to touch the sore spot. Regional.

Relief occurs with the breakthrough of pus to the outside when the pustule is opened. After pus, necrotic yellow-green tissues, often having the shape of a rod, are released from the boil. From this moment on, the pain goes away and the child’s well-being improves.

Healing: the depression remaining in the place of the opened one becomes scarred, acquiring a red-blue color. Then the scar becomes lighter and almost matches the color of healthy skin.

All three stages of development, provided treatment is started in a timely manner, last from 10 to 12 days.

In the case of furunculosis development, ulcers appear in different places of the skin one after another (before one boil has time to heal, another is already brewing), or even simultaneously. The condition and well-being of the child suffer greatly. Young children with furunculosis are treated in a hospital, as are older children, if the boils are located in particularly dangerous places (see below).

Complications of furunculosis

The degree of danger and the possibility of developing complications depend on where the boil occurs.

The most common areas of localization of ulcers are the lower extremities, buttocks, lumbar region, abdomen, forearms, and back of the head. Almost a boil can occur on any part of the body, except the palms and soles (there are no hair follicles there).

But the most dangerous boils are on the face (especially in the area of the nasolabial triangle), on the neck, in the groin, in the intergluteal folds, in the armpits, and also in the depths of the ear canal. In these cases, the ulcers are located in close proximity to the blood and lymphatic vessels and can provoke the development of complications such as:

sepsis (“blood poisoning”);
purulent;
thrombosis of the lymphatic tract;
lymphangitis;
lymphadenitis;
purulent metastases to various internal organs (liver, kidneys, etc.).

Treatment of furunculosis

Treatment methods for furunculosis are divided into local, general and surgical.

Target local treatment – accelerate the maturation and “breakthrough” of the boil, reduce pain and inflammation, prevent the spread of the suppurative process.

For this purpose, both official medicine is used (antibacterial and anti-inflammatory ointments, compresses with Dimexide and other drugs, rubbing with alcohol tinctures of medicinal herbs), and folk recipes (applying onions boiled in milk; compresses from grated raw potatoes, from cabbage leaves, greased honey, etc.).

The following antibacterial ointments are used locally: Baktroban, Levomekol, Azelik, Fucidin, gentamicin, heliomycin, etc. To speed up the opening of the boil, ichthyol ointment, Vinilin, and Vishnevsky ointment are used.

General treatment prescribed for chronic furunculosis, when boils are localized in dangerous places (listed above). It consists of the use of antibiotics, vitamins, as well as the treatment of concomitant chronic diseases.

Antibiotics are prescribed both locally and orally, and in some cases intravenously. Sometimes they resort to complex prescription of antibacterial agents. Only a doctor prescribes antibiotics, taking into account the sensitivity analysis of the pathogen. Azithromycin, Unidox Solutab, Josamycin, Clarithromycin, Augmentin, Kefzol, etc. are used most often. The course of antibiotic therapy for furunculosis is at least 5 days.

Vitamins necessary in the treatment of furunculosis: retinol acetate (vitamin A), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), nicotinic acid (vitamin PP). Most often they are prescribed to the child orally, but sometimes they are also used by injection. Vitamin B complex is found in brewer's yeast, which can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Drugs that stimulate the immune system are used strictly as prescribed by a doctor. Drugs such as interferons, Derinat, Lykopid, Polyoxidonium, Intraglobin, Myelopid, Gabriglobin, Octagam, Seramil, etc. can be used.

Several decades ago, anti-staphylococcal immunoglobulin and staphylococcal toxoid were used to strengthen the body's defenses, but the use of these drugs did not give the desired result. Currently, they are not used for furunculosis, as is autohemotherapy (intramuscular injection of a small amount of his own blood taken from a vein to the patient). For children, this procedure was, of course, additional traumatization.

Surgery used when there is a clear risk of complications, as well as in cases where boils do not respond to conservative therapy.

Surgical intervention consists of creating a cross-shaped incision in the skin at the apex of the boil and removing pus and necrotic core through this incision. This procedure in children is performed under local anesthesia. At the end of the operation, the wound is treated with a disinfectant solution and a sterile bandage is applied to it. Sometimes, if the wound cannot be completely cleared of pus, drainage is left in it - a rubber strip that facilitates the drainage of purulent discharge. After the operation, the child undergoes daily dressings.

The advantages of surgical treatment of a boil are the rapid improvement of the patient’s condition, but the child has to overcome an additional negative emotional burden: all children, of course, are afraid of operations.

Prevention

There is no specific prevention for this disease.

Prevention of furunculosis, as well as all pustular skin diseases, consists of following the following recommendations:

Teaching children from an early age to keep their skin clean and wash their hands regularly. It should be noted that bactericidal soaps are not suitable for constant use: they also destroy the beneficial, protective microflora of the skin. Both the hands and the entire body of the child should be washed with regular baby soap, and bactericidal soap is very appropriate for washing those areas of the skin that were exposed to pus when the boil opened.
Any abrasions, cuts, or scratches on a child’s skin should be treated immediately after their detection with antiseptic solutions (diamond green, methylene blue, fucorcin, etc.).
When cleaning the ear canals in children (as well as in adults), sharp objects should not be used to avoid causing injuries that provoke the development of furunculosis.
Children's clothing must correspond to weather conditions so that during a walk the child does not overheat, but also does not freeze. In addition, you should avoid purchasing clothes for children made from hard synthetic fabrics that can chafe the skin.
Children with any pustular skin diseases should be isolated from the children's group, because in close contact, these diseases can be contagious.
Treatment of all chronic diseases the child has is mandatory.
A child with a boil should not be bathed in the bath, since the abscess can spontaneously open at any time, and then all skin integuments will be exposed to the danger of exposure to Staphylococcus aureus. The area where the boil is located cannot be washed at all; it is only permissible to wash the child and give him hygienic wipes. If there are several boils, and they are located in different parts of the body, water procedures are strictly prohibited.
If a child has a boil, you should not try to open it and squeeze out the pus yourself: this can even lead to such a serious complication as sepsis. Opening a boil is a medical procedure.