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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffAlthough it's not always possible to prevent boils, especially if you have a compromised immune system, the following measures may help you avoid staph infections:
- Wash your hands regularly with mild soap. Or, use an alcohol-based hand rub often. Careful hand washing is your best defense against germs.
- Thoroughly clean even small cuts and scrapes. Wash the wound well with soap and water and apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment.
- Keep wounds covered. Keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with sterile, dry bandages until they heal.
- Keep personal items personal. Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels, sheets, razors, clothing and athletic equipment. Staph infections can spread via objects as well as from person to person. If you have a cut or sore, wash your towels and linens using detergent and hot water with added bleach and dry them in a hot dryer.
References
- Habif, TP. Furuncles and carbuncles. In: Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Inc; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/103911270-3/743722527/1195/55.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50011-X--cesec55_993. Accessed Aug. 27, 2008.
- Baddour LM, et al. Skin abscesses, furuncles and carbuncles. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 27, 2008.
- Wolf K, et al. Section 22. Bacterial infections involving the skin. In: Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology, 5th ed. McGraw-Hill Companies Inc; 2005. http://www.accessmedicine.com/popup.aspx?aID=755117. Accessed Aug. 27, 2008.
- Tree tea oil. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com/(S(iyok1uyiw1fl112ek3ax2lu2))/nd/Search.aspx?cs=MAYO&s=ND&pt=100&id=113&fs=ND&searchid=11129198. Accessed Aug. 28, 2008.
- Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/pm/temp/mrsa/qa.html. Accessed Aug. 28, 2008.
