Treatment of Boils

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The best treatment of folliculitis is try to prevent them. Try not to get tired and run down and make sure you eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink plenty of water (around two litres per day), don't drink too much alcohol and take some exercise.

If you have a long-term condition that affects your immune system, then it's important to make even more effort to keep healthy.

If you do get a boil, then you should:

Keep the area around it clean, preferably using an antiseptic soap
Soak a clean cloth in warm salty water (mix a couple of spoonfuls of salt in a bowl of water) and press it against boil, gently squeezing at the same time
Do not 'lance' the boil and squeeze out the pus as this can spread the germs more widely and cause more boils
If the boil does not start to heal within a few days, then make an appointment to see your GP

If you get a severe attack of folliculitis with many boils, it may be treated with a full course of an antibiotic such as erythromycin or flucloxacillin for seven to fourteen days.