My sister got boils after shaving
DEAR Dr,<br>My sister developed boils in the armpit after shaving. She was given some drugs and they went. But she has got some more. What causes a boil?
DEAR Dr,
My sister developed boils in the armpit after shaving. She was given some drugs and they went. But she has got some more. What causes a boil? Why did they come after shaving. Why did they come back after treatment? What will stop them?
Regina
Dear Regina,
A boil is an infection of a hair follicle. Our skins have lots of bacteria that live on them. Most of these bacteria do not cause us disease.
In fact they prevent ‘bad’ bacteria from living on our skin. But sometimes the bad bacteria may get onto the skin. They can then get under the skin from the surface, using the hair pits as an entrance. Then pus forms and you get a boil.
The pus has to be taken out to relieve pain and allow healing. An antibiotic is given to prevent spread of bacteria in and makes the boil heal faster. The antibiotic may even prevent pus from forming if it is given early enough.
Your sister most likely had some of these harmful bacteria on her skin. Shaving forced them into the skin, and they caused the inflammation and boils. She got an antibiotic to control it the first time, but the bacteria remained on her skin. That is why she got more boils.
To prevent this, doctors recommend using an antiseptic, like Dettol soap for a week. This removes the bacteria from the skin surface.
She should not continue using it for longer than a week because it affects the good bacteria too.
Using ‘aftershave’ or ‘spirit’ after shaving helps prevent boils in armpits, pimples in the beard area and on the head after a haircut, because these chemicals kill the harmful bacteria.
The shaving machines should also be disinfected regularly.
Dr. Paul Semugoma
Write to
Ask The Doctor,
Box 9815, Kampala or
health@newvision.co.ug
My sister developed boils in the armpit after shaving. She was given some drugs and they went. But she has got some more. What causes a boil? Why did they come after shaving. Why did they come back after treatment? What will stop them?
Regina
Dear Regina,
A boil is an infection of a hair follicle. Our skins have lots of bacteria that live on them. Most of these bacteria do not cause us disease.
In fact they prevent ‘bad’ bacteria from living on our skin. But sometimes the bad bacteria may get onto the skin. They can then get under the skin from the surface, using the hair pits as an entrance. Then pus forms and you get a boil.
The pus has to be taken out to relieve pain and allow healing. An antibiotic is given to prevent spread of bacteria in and makes the boil heal faster. The antibiotic may even prevent pus from forming if it is given early enough.
Your sister most likely had some of these harmful bacteria on her skin. Shaving forced them into the skin, and they caused the inflammation and boils. She got an antibiotic to control it the first time, but the bacteria remained on her skin. That is why she got more boils.
To prevent this, doctors recommend using an antiseptic, like Dettol soap for a week. This removes the bacteria from the skin surface.
She should not continue using it for longer than a week because it affects the good bacteria too.
Using ‘aftershave’ or ‘spirit’ after shaving helps prevent boils in armpits, pimples in the beard area and on the head after a haircut, because these chemicals kill the harmful bacteria.
The shaving machines should also be disinfected regularly.
Dr. Paul Semugoma
Write to
Ask The Doctor,
Box 9815, Kampala or
health@newvision.co.ug