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Boils (cont.)

When to Seek Medical Care

  • You have a boil and start running a fever.


  • The skin around the boil turns red or red streaks appear.


  • The pain becomes severe.


  • The boil does not drain.


  • A second boil appears.


  • You have a heart murmur, diabetes, any problem with your immune system, or are taking medications that suppress the immune system (for example, corticosteroids or chemotherapy for cancer) and you develop a boil.


  • Boils usually do not require immediate emergency attention. If you are in poor health and you develop high fever and chills along with the infection, a trip to a hospital's emergency department is needed.


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Boils - Effective Treatments

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