All you need to know about your abscess

What is an abscess?

An abscess is a build-up of pus underneath the skin that forms a lump. This is caused by a bacterial infection and can appear anywhere on our body. This lump may appear inflamed, red, swollen and warm to touch. These are all signs that you will need to see a medical professional to have it checked out. 

Causes:

• Obstruction of sweat glands
• Inflammation of hair follicles
• Breaks or punctures in the skin
• Microbial infection of the skin

Treatment:

The doctor may advise to start a course of antibiotics first to see if it removes the infection, however in many cases if there is little to no improvement, it is best to have it surgically removed through an incision and drainage. This can be done by attending A&E. Infections should be urgently treated to avoid the infection to spread within the body, and removing the infection will remove the risk of sepsis. Sepsis is an infection within the blood stream and is life threatening.

Once the abscess has been drained, it will leave a tunnel in your skin which could be from 1cm to 5cm deep, this may sound worrying however once the nursing team take care of your wound, itwill heal from within, and there will no longer be a tunnel/hole. The healing process is done by a procedure called ‘Packing’. This is the process of using a soft, non-woven, absorbent material that aids healing and reduce pain. This process needs to be done once every day/every other day to ensure efficient healing and prevention of introducing harmful bacteria to the wound. This process can take 2-6 weeks depending on the size and depth of the wound. 

How to manage:

Once you have this wound, you should ensure it is always covered, and kept dry. It is very important to keep the wound dry to avoid introducing infection inside the wound which could delay the healing process. To achieve a smooth and speedy recovery you must be seen by a nurse/nursing associate to redress your wound daily/every other day until the depth of the wound has reduced enough to be redressed less often during the week. We will measure it and inform you to keep you reassured it is getting better. 

If you can’t get an appointment with us in the practise, an alternative is to attend Finchley memorial walk in centre, or your local A&E. In some cases, if you have a family member/friend comfortable with redressing for you, we can demonstrate to them how redressing is done in a sterile way, and they can redress for you when needed.

Encouraging wound healing: 

• Eating nutritional food which include Protein, iron, vitamins and minerals. All of these will contribute to the repair and rebuilding of damaged tissue
• Attend appointments regularly
• Avoid vigorous exercise
• Keep dressing dry and covered
• Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol