Had Boils On Thigh. Boils Clotted, Noticed Swelling And Pain On Thigh. How To Reduce This?

Posted on Tue, 12 Mar 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 Answered on

Wed, 3 Apr 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : Hello

I had a boil on my thighs and it clotted yesterday.
BUt there is swelling around that area which is paining very much.
What can I do to reduce it?

Answered by Dr. Kalpana Pathak (15 minutes later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Thanks for writing to us.
Boils or furuncles are associated with swelling, redness, warmth and tenderness of surrounding areas.
To treat the same
1) do warm saline water compresses twice to thrice in a day. This would liquify the contents inside and help in drainage of the lesion. This would also reduce inflammation, swelling and tenderness or pain of surrounding areas
2) apply mupirocin cream twice in a day for early healing
3) take tablet ibuprofen to reduce tenderness and swelling

Usually with these steps, the boil and swelling around it should subside. If it still persists along with these measures, oral antibiotic like augmentin might be required for five to seven days.
Hope that helps.
Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar