Effective Home Remedies to Get Rid of Boils on Butt (Research Based)

Effective Home Remedies to Get Rid of Boils on Butt

Having a boil on your butt can be a painful and uncomfortable experience. A large pus-filled lump on your buttocks can be difficult to get rid of and may become even more infected if you try to squeeze it. Butt boils usually start out as a small infected hair follicle that develops into a red bump and gradually becomes inflamed and filled with pus as the bacterial infection gets deeper.

Most boils are caused by a Staphylococcal bacterial infection. This causes swelling, redness, pain, and discomfort around the infected follicle. Very often, sweat, friction, and poor hygiene can aggravate the condition and make the boil on your buttocks worse.

There are many effective home remedies that help to get rid of boils on the butt. Natural antibacterials such as tea tree oil help to kill off skin infections to prevent painful bumps on or between the buttocks. Natural remedies such as witch hazel, aloe vera, and apple cider vinegar (ACV) can help to soothe inflamed and irritated skin. In fact, using home remedies for boils on buttocks is a safe way to treat the condition without resorting to antibiotics.

What are Boils?

Boils are skin infections that occur when an oil gland or hair follicle becomes infected with germs. The first sign of a boil on your buttocks is a red patch of skin where the infection has occurred. After that, a lump starts to develop that becomes filled with pus and develops a white head in the middle of the lump.

According to Dr. Debra Jaliman on WebMD, boils commonly appear on the buttocks, face, armpits, and shoulders. If the infection becomes severe, you may also develop a fever and the skin around the inflamed lump may be warm to touch.1

What Causes Boils on the Butt?

Staphylococcus bacterial infections are usually to blame for boils on your butt. According to doctors from the National Health Service, these bacteria can enter the skin through a cut or a graze and the body fights the infection by sending white blood cells. Dead skin cells, bacteria, and dead white blood cells develop into pus in the follicle to cause a painful red lump on your butt and even between the buttocks.2

Another type of boil on your butt is called a pilonidal cyst. This is a large painful lump that forms at the top of the crease of the buttocks. According to Dr. John Cunha on MedicineNet, pilonidal buttock cysts form when dead skin cells and hair plug the skin’s pores in the area between the buttocks.3

How to Get Rid of Boils on the Butt Naturally

There are a number of home remedies to get rid of boils on the butt. These natural treatments help to kill off the infection, reduce inflammation, and help to dry out the lump to reduce symptoms like pain and swelling. These home treatments are generally safe to use and will help to speed up the healing process.

Warm compress

One of the most common and effective ways to get rid of an inflamed butt boil is to apply a warm compress. Dr. John Cunha on eMedicineHealth recommends applying a warm damp compress to help drain the boil and speed up the healing process.4

The warm compress helps to improve blood circulation to the infected lump on your buttocks. This sends more healing white blood cells to the area of the infection on your buttocks to reduce pain and helps the boil to heal quicker.

How to use:

It is very easy to make a warm compress at home to treat a boil on your bottom. This is what you should do:

  1. Soak a clean wash cloth in hot water.
  2. Make sure that the cloth is not too hot, apply to the butt boil and hold for 10 minutes.
  3. Wash the affected skin area on your buttocks with soap and place a sterile gauze over the infected wound.
  4. Repeat the process 3-4 times a day to cure the painful boil faster.
  5. Continue doing this for around 5 days until the boil comes to a head and ruptures.

Dr. John Cunha recommends applying the warm compress and then washing the affected skin area until the boil has completely healed.

Tea tree oil

Because of its antibacterial properties, tea tree oil is an excellent home remedy to cure a boil or cyst on your buttocks. Tea tree oil contains many compounds which kill off skin infections and help painful lesions heal naturally. You can also use tea tree oil if you have any kind of boil on your inner thigh. It is also an excellent remedy for treating acne, and for healing blind pimples quickly and naturally.

The American Society for Microbiology reported on the effectiveness of using tea tree oil for Staphylococcus bacterial infections. They found that tea tree oil has antimicrobial activity without building up resistance to antibacterial treatments. Also, tea tree oil helps to soothe redness and inflammation because it is also anti-inflammatory in nature.5

Tea tree oil is gentle enough to be used as a spot treatment directly on the infected boil on your butt. You can also mix tea tree oil with some coconut oil to create a healing salve for treating boils, pimples or rash on the buttocks.

How to use:

This cheap method to get rid of boils from your buttocks quickly just needs a cotton swab and tea tree oil. This is what you should do:

  1. Put a few drops of tea tree oil on the end of a cotton swab.
  2. Apply the tree oil remedy to the red sore lump on your butt 2-3 times a day.
  3. Continue applying until the redness has gone, the infection has disappeared, and the butt boil has healed.

If you want to mix tea tree oil with coconut oil, you should mix 2-3 drops of tea tree oil with a tablespoon of coconut oil. You can apply the healing remedy to the boil on your buttocks after you have applied the warm compress. This is also one of the best natural treatments for rash on buttocks.

Witch hazel

Witch hazel is a natural astringent with antiseptic properties that can help get rid of a painful boil on the buttocks. The astringent properties of witch hazel help to reduce inflammation in the inflamed butt boil and also help drain pus from infected bumps. Healing is boosted because witch hazel also destroys infection-causing germs.

For example, the Journal of Inflammation reported that witch hazel has antioxidant properties that disinfect wounds. Also, witch hazel is commonly used for treating various skin disorders because of its astringent and antiseptic properties. In fact, the report found that the anti-inflammatory properties of witch hazel help to treat acne and get rid of boils.6

How to use:

To help reduce inflammation from a red lump on your butt with witch hazel, this is what you need to do:

  1. Soak a cotton ball in pure witch hazel and squeeze out excess liquid.
  2. Hold to the irritating boil on your butt for a few minutes to help kill off the infection and reduce inflammation.
  3. Repeat 2-3 times a day and continue applying until all signs of the infected boil have completely gone.

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar also contains antiseptic properties that can help to eliminate Staph infections from an infected hair follicle between your buttocks. The antimicrobial properties of ACV are due to its high levels of acetic acid. By diluting ACV with water, you can make your own cheap and effective treatment of a cyst-like boil on your buttocks.

A study published in the journal PLoS One found that acetic acid is a natural wound healer. Because of its low pH levels, apple cider vinegar also helps to reduce inflammation and alleviate itchiness from damaged skin in a cyst or boil. In fact, acetic acid was effective against skin infections caused by Staphylococcus bacteria.7

How to use:

You can easily make your own healing ACV lotion to get rid of germs that cause boils on your buttocks or in your butt crack. Here are the instructions to make your apple cider vinegar healing compress:

  1. Dilute raw apple cider vinegar with equal amounts of water.
  2. Soak a cotton pad in the healing remedy and apply to the boil for up to 20 minutes to kill off germs and encourage the healing process.
  3. Repeat the application 2 times a day and use every day until the boil has healed and the inflammation has disappeared.

At first, apple cider vinegar can irritate your skin, so always do a skin patch test first. If the apple cider vinegar remedy stings too much at first, try increasing the amount of water. Gradually, your skin should get accustomed to ACV.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a delicious cooking spice that also has skin-healing properties. A turmeric paste can help to remove infection from a boil or pilonidal cyst on your buttocks and reduce inflammation around the swollen lump. Turmeric will also help to remove soreness and discomfort in the affected skin area where the boil or abscess is.

The antibacterial properties of turmeric were reported in a study published in 2005. There, researchers found that turmeric helps to kill off various bacterial strains that cause skin infections. The antimicrobial effect of turmeric was due to the compound curcumin. Researchers concluded that turmeric is an effective therapeutic agent for treating many skin infections.8

How to use:

You can quickly make your own healing turmeric paste for boils by using the following method:

  1. Mix some turmeric powder with water to form a thick paste.
  2. Apply the healing turmeric remedy to the boil on the buttocks and cover with a gauze.
  3. Leave for 20 minutes to help reduce inflammation and infection in the boil.
  4. Use the treatment 2 times a day to help speed up the healing process.

Please remember that turmeric easily stains fabric. Therefore, make sure that the paste is thick enough that it doesn’t drip.

Aloe vera

Aloe vera is another natural ingredient that can help to get rid of the discomfort that a butt boil causes. Aloe vera is full of skin healing properties that can also help soothe irritated skin and reduce skin redness.

The journal Annals of Plastic Surgery reported on a study into the medicinal properties of aloe vera in wound healing. Clinical trials found that aloe vera helped speed up the wound healing process.9 Other studies have shown that aloe vera is an effective antibacterial agent against Staph skin infections and can accelerate wound healing time.10

How to use:

To use aloe vera to help get rid of boil infections quickly and soothe red inflamed skin, you should use aloe vera gel with as few added ingredients as possible. This is how to use it:

  1. Apply the aloe vera gel directly to the inflamed lump on your butt.
  2. Gently massage the gel into the boil and surrounding skin area to help soothe and heal the infection.
  3. Apply 2-3 times a day and continue using until all symptoms of your sore butt boil have gone completely.

Colloidal silver

Another effective home remedy for boils on your buttocks is colloidal silver which has antibacterial effect on wounds and skin infections.

A study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care reported that colloidal silver ointment applied directly to the wound effectively helped to heal the infected area without any complications.11

To make sure that the boil on your butt heals quickly, apply some colloidal silver cream to the inflamed lump. Use the silver ointment 2 times a day until the painful bump on your buttocks has gone completely.

How to Prevent Boils on Your Butt Spreading?

The bacteria and pus from a boil or cyst on your buttocks can spread to other areas of your body. Therefore, you should take some preventative measures to stop boils spreading. Here are some handy tips to prevent spreading bacteria from a boil:

  • Always wash your hands before and after touching a boil.
  • Keep the skin area clean and dry.
  • Don’t share towels if you have a boil on your buttocks.
  • Avoid popping or squeezing a boil to prevent the infection getting worse.

Boils on Buttocks – When to see a Doctor

Boils generally take a week to two to heal completely. However, in some instances, you should visit your doctor if you have a boil that won’t go away or you have recurring boils on your butt.

Doctors from WebMD recommend seeking medical advice for boils in the following circumstances:1

  • The boil on your buttocks is near your anus.
  • The boil keeps getting larger despite treating it with home remedies.
  • You have other symptoms of an infection like a high fever.
  • You have other sore lumps on your buttocks near the boil.
  • You notice red streaks coming from the boil.

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Article Sources

  1. WebMD. Boils.
  2. NHS. Boils.
  3. MedicineNet. Pilonidal cysts.
  4. eMedicineHealth. Boils.
  5. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. February 2012 vol. 56 no. 2 909-915.
  6. J Inflamm (Lond). 2011; 8: 27.
  7. PLoS One. Antibacterial activity of acetic acid.
  8. Technol., 2005, 27(Suppl. 2) : 569-578.
  9. Ann Plast Surg. 2016 Jan;77(1):37-46.
  10. J Adv Res. 3 (1). 0.
  11. J Family Med Prim Care. 2016 Jan-Mar; 5(1): 175–177


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