Treatment

Abscesses can be treated in a number of different ways, depending on the type of abscess and how large it is.

The main treatment options include:

Skin abscesses

Some small skin abscesses may drain naturally and get better without the need for treatment. Applying heat in the form of a warm compress, such as a warm flannel, may help reduce any swelling and speed up healing.

However, the flannel should be thoroughly washed afterwards and not used by other people, to avoid spreading the infection.

For larger or persistent skin abscesses, your GP may prescribe a course of antibiotics to help clear the infection and prevent it from spreading.

Sometimes, especiallywith recurrentinfections, you may need to wash off all the bacteria from your body to prevent re-infection (decolonisation). This can be done usingantiseptic soap for most of your body and an antibiotic cream for the inside of your nose.

However, antibiotics alonemay not be enough to clear a skin abscess, and the pusmay need to be drained to clear the infection. If a skin abscess isn't drained, it may continue to grow and fill with pus until it bursts, which can be very painful and can cause the infection to spread or recur.

Incision and drainage

If your skin abscess needs draining, you'll probably have a small operation carried out under anaesthetic usually a local anaesthetic , where you remain awake and the area around the abscess is numbed.

During the procedure, the surgeon makes a cut (incision) in the abscess, to allow the pus to drain out. They may also take a sample of pus for testing.

Once all of the pus has been removed, the surgeon will clean the hole that is left by the abscess using sterile saline (a salt solution).

Theabscess will be left open but covered with a wound dressing, so ifany more pus is produced it can drain away easily. Ifthe abscess is deep,an antiseptic dressing (gauze wick) may be placed insidethe woundto keep it open.

The procedure may leave a small scar.

Internal abscesses

The pus usually needs to be drained from an internal abscess, eitherby using a needle inserted through the skin (percutaneous abscess drainage) or with surgery.

The method used will depend on the size of your abscess and where it is in your body.

Antibiotics will usually be given at the same time, to help kill the infection and prevent it spreading. These may be given as tabletsor directly into a vein (intravenously).

Percutaneous drainage

If the internal abscess is small, your surgeon may be able to drain it using a fine needle. Depending on the location of the abscess, this may be carried out using either a local or general anaesthetic .

The surgeon may use ultrasound scans or computerised tomography (CT) scans to help guide the needle into the right place.

Once the abscess has been located, the surgeon drains the pus using the needle. They may make a small incision in your skin over the abscess, then insert a thin plastic tube called a drainage catheter into it.

The catheter allows the pus to drain out into a bag and may have to be left in place for up to a week.

This procedure may be carried out as a day case procedure, which means you'll be able to go home the same day, although some people will need to stay in hospital for a few days.

As with the incision and drainage procedure for skin abscesses, percutaneous drainagemay leave a small scar.

Surgery

You may need to undergo surgery if:

  • your internal abscess is too large to be drained with a needle
  • a needle can't get to the abscess safely
  • needle drainage hasn't been effective in removing all of the pus

The type of surgery you have will depend on the type of internal abscess you have and where it is in your body. Generally, it involves making a larger incision in your skin toallow the pus to be washed out.

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 28 Jul 2016