Symptoms:

A boil may begin as a tender, pinkish-red, swollen, firm area in the skin. Over time, it will feel like a water-filled balloon or cyst.

Pain gets worse as it fills with pus and dead tissue, and improves as it drains. It may drain on its own. More often the patient or someone else opens the boil.

The boil:

• Is usually pea-sized, but may be as large as a golf ball
• May develop white or yellow centers (pustules)
• May join with another boil or spread to other skin areas
• May grow quickly
• May weep, ooze, or crust

Other symptoms may include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• General ill-feeling
• Itching before the boil develops
• Skin redness around the boil

Signs and tests:

The health care provider can usually diagnose a boil based on how it looks. A culture may show staphylococcus or other bacteria.