- Put a warm, wet wash cloth on the carbuncle for 10 minutes, two to three times a day. This will help keep the area soft and supple and help it to drain once it ruptures.
- Keeping the affected area free of germs and bacteria will help keep new boils from forming. You can do this by washing with warm soapy water and a wash cloth. Don't use your hands to wash the carbuncle. This is just inviting more infection. You can also put an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment on the carbuncle to keep out more infection.
- Washing yourself or anything that has come in contact with your carbuncle may not help treat the one you have, but it will help reduce the chance of compounding the issue with another one. Always wash your hands with warm, soapy water before and after touching the carbuncle. Machine wash any towel or compresses used for the carbuncle as well.
- You never want to pop a boil or a carbuncle. Allow the area time to build up pus and rupture on its own. Attempting to pop it could increase the chance of spreading the infection. Carbuncles will, normally, go away on their own, so give it a chance to pop and drain in it's own time.
- If the pain associated with the carbuncle is too much, or the carbuncle has been present for more than two weeks, it's recommended that you see a physician. A doctor can do a couple things. They may prescribe an oral antibiotic to treat the staph infection, like amoxicillin. They may recommend an antibacterial soap to help keep the skin clean. In some cases, the doctor may make a small incision on the carbuncle in order to start it draining.
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