How to Pop a Boil With No Head

If you're wondering how to pop a boil with no head, you should know that trying to burst the boil on your own will only make it worse. Attempting to pop or cut a boil open by yourself is risky, as it can force the infection-causing bacteria deeper into the skin.

While lancing (cutting) open a boil may be considered if warm compresses fail, the procedure should only be done by a healthcare provider who can take steps to minimize risks. If the boil is large, on a vulnerable area like your face, or you have a condition that affects your immune system, skip DIY treatments altogether and get a professional opinion.

This article explains how to safely treat a boil at home. It also reviews the tools and steps a healthcare professional may use to get a boil to pop.

Dangers of Attempting to Pop a Boil With No Head at Home

You may feel tempted to pop or lance a boil at home, especially if it is small and isn't super painful. However, you should avoid doing this.

Boils contain bacteria that have infected one or more hair follicles. Trying to pop a boil at home can spread the infection into deeper layers of skin as well as other tissues and organs.

In some cases, the spreading infection can trigger serious complications like sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which the immune system has a systemic (entire body) reaction to infection.

Instead of trying to pop the boil, you can encourage it to open on its own by doing the following:

• Place a warm, wet cloth on the boil for 20 to 30 minutes at a time, four to five times per day.
• Cover it with a heating pad to provide additional warmth.
• In about a week, the boil may open on its own. When it does, wash the affected area with soap and water.
• Dress the boil with a clean bandage.
• Continue using heat and re-dressing the boil every day for three days once it has opened.

What Is Needed to Pop a Boil With No Head

Boils may be drained during an in-office procedure, but some may require surgery. In general, a boil is drained using sterile, or germ-free, tools, which may include:

• Disposable gloves
• Needles
• Scalpel, which is an instrument with a very sharp blade
• Irrigating syringe, which is used to clean wounds
• Sterile saline
• Dressing, which includes clean and soft materials that keep the wound protected

How Does a Heath Care Provider Pop a Boil With No Head?

During an in-office procedure, every effort is made to ensure a germ-free environment. The procedure takes around five to 10 minutes in total. The procedure may differ depending on your type of abscess, but in general:

1. The healthcare provider wears protective clothing and disposable gloves. An absorbent pad is placed under the area to be drained.
2. The healthcare provider finds the head of the boil. Ethyl chloride, a numbing medication, may be applied at this stage to reduce pain.
3. The healthcare provider makes a quick nick in the skin to release the pus. A sample of pus may be collected and sent to the lab if you have a severe infection, have a history of recurrent boils, or have a weakened immune system.
4. Depending on the size of the boil, they may need to make another cut to ensure that all the pus is completely drained.
5. The wound is flushed out with sterile saline and bandaged.
   

Summary

A boil, or abscess, is a red bump that is filled with pus. Caused by bacteria, boils can be painful and may range in size from small to large.

To drain an abscess, a doctor will lance, or cut, the skin to remove the pus. Then the doctor will flush out the wound and bandage it.

If you plan on caring for your own boil at home, try not to pop it. This can force bacteria even deeper. Instead, apply a warm, wet washcloth for 20 to 30 minutes up to five times a day. Continue applying heat until the boil opens on its own. Once open, clean it and apply a new bandage every day.

Reach out to your doctor right away if your boil doesn't drain on its own, if you have a fever, or are experiencing uncomfortable or worsening symptoms.