Health Information : Abscess

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What is an Abscess?

An Abscess is a soft, tender, painful swelling filled with pus due to bacterial infection. The area of Abscess is surrounded by skin that is pink to deep red in colour. It can occur anywhere on the body but the most common sites where an Abscess occurs are:

Armpits

• Areas around anus & vagina
• The base of spine
• Around your tooth
• Groin
• Inflammation around hair follicle

What are the causes of Abscess?

An Abscess is usually a result of bacterial infection. When bacteria enter your body, the defence system here fights with the bacteria and in this attack some nearby tissues die. This creates a hole which is then filled with pus to form abscess. The pus formed is actually a mixture of dead tissues, white blood cells and bacteria.

What are the symptoms of Abscess?

The most common symptoms of an Abscess include:

• Pain in the affected area with high fever
• Compressible, tender mass that is red and warm to touch
• Mass is filled with pus that is clearly seen as abscess progresses
• Bleeding may occur
• The infection can spread into deeper tissue

How can an Abscess be treated?

A small abscess doesn’t not require any treatment as it drains naturally or dries up and disappear. But a large abscess needs to be treated with antibiotics to clear the infection. Even the pus needs to be drained at times.