What causes boils ?

There are numerous types of boils – see the post “Boils – What are they ? ” for more information, but there are only two main causes which lead to all the different sorts of boils.  These are the Staph bacteria or a toxic condition within the blood.

Boils are usually caused by the infection of hair follicles by the the bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus (Staph bacteria).  This bacteria is commonly found on the skin and in the nasal passage.  Infact around a third of people carry the bacteria.

If the Staph bacteria penetrates the skin through a cut, break, graze or scratch in the skin, or through a sweat gland, your bodies immune system will release infection busting white blood cells (known as Neutrophilis) to fight the infection.

This causes the skin to inflame into a boil which will eventually fill with the white blood cells, bacteria and dead skin cells to form the head which is filled with Pus.

If your immune system is lowered, this can lead to the development of boils.  This can be due to a poor lifestyle – lack of sleep, overworking, stress, not enough exercise and an unbalanced diet, or can be due to a long term illness such as Cancer or Diabetes.

Boils occur in all age groups, but they are most common in young adults and teenagers.

Boils are more common in people that have any skin condition that causes itchiness (eg eczema) which leads to persistent scratching and the breaking of the skin.  Other people that are more prone to developing boils are those that are clinically obese or are carriers of the Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria.

Boils often develop on parts of the body where the skin is sweaty or where  there is a lot of rubbing.  The most common areas where boils develop are the face, neck, armpits, buttocks and the groin.

If you are one of the many who suffer from boils, then have a look at this natural product which helps boils sufferers, its called boilx.