Boils are also known as abscess. Abscess occurs when a person’s skin is infected. This infection may occur anywhere in the body, although the skin part with poor hygiene or is moist is more susceptible to the occurrence of boils. Once the skin is infected, the white blood cells fight the infection and surround the wound site. As a result, you will be able to spot a lump of whitish drainage where the infection is. Abscess can be small, resembling pustules, or larger in diameter. Commonly, abscess is physically visible as pimples with whitish or yellowish drainage. Yet, in some cases, people experience these boils to bleed.

Is it normal for a boil to bleed?

Boils generally start as small-sized hard, red, painful lumps. Eventually, the lump grows larger, more painful, and softer. The skin on the wound site is swollen, followed by the occurrence of pus accumulation on top of the lump, beneath the surface of the skin. In some people, boils are recurrent, becoming a regular skin disorder triggered by certain foods, stress level, or poor hygiene.

When treated immediately using either topical or oral remedies, boils can be healed without involving any bleeding. Treated boils are flattened and softer, with the drainage diminish eventually. However, some boils are possible to bleed. With certain boils, the bleeding can be severe, wherein the mixture of bleed and pus is present during this bleeding. As long as it is treated properly, bleeding with boils should not be a big health problem.

Boils bleed because excessive pressure beneath the skin occurs with the infection. Initially, this pressure occurs when the skin tissues are infected. Within days, the drainage build ups along with the infection accumulate on the wound site. These build ups are also accompanied with swollen skin around the wound site. The skin on the wound site swells during the infection and thus, getting more severe if this infection is not properly treated. When the skin around the boil is overly inflamed, the abscess burst. The drainage within the boil, therefore, is getting out onto the surface of the skin. Bleeding which occurs comes from the drainage containing blood, dead white blood cells, and damaged tissues. A boil which bleeds may also indicate that the core is ready to be removed, so that the disorder can be treated thoroughly in order to prevent recurrent problem.

The area that hosted a boil previously, can be hardened due to the natural healing process. This healing process includes swelling, tenderness of the area, and fibrous tissues formation, which results in a hardened characteristic to the area. Boils accompanied by bleeding may also lead to scarring. Some people who are susceptible to scarring may even develop keloid and other types of scarring on the previous wound site.

Treating bleeding boils

Bleeding with boils is not an uncommon thing. In some cases, it is a normal part of complete healing. When a boil bursts, it is important to clean the surrounding area thoroughly, as the drainage from burst boils may lead to the occurrence of another boil. If you suspect a bleeding boil, perform remedies which can be helpful, such as:

• A boil commonly shows a head that is going to burst within 10 days of its first appearance. When the boils bursts, bleeding occurs. During this bleeding, there will be a drainage that is a part of blood and pus from within the boils. To reduce this bleeding, soak a clean towel in warm water and apply it onto the wound site. You can squeeze out the excess drainage and core after the bleeding stops. However, never pick a boil with needles to burst it, as this may lead to infection.
• After you finish squeezing the excess moisture and drainage, and the bleeding has decreases, wash the wound site and the area around it with mild antibacterial soap. This will help remove the excessed pus and blood that may be left on the wound. Afterwards, clean the burst boil with saline solution or rubbing alcohol.
• Apply antibiotic ointment and cover the wound site with clean bandage. This is important to reduce the risk of infection and to promote faster healing.
• Continue washing the area every time the drainage soaks into the bandage. You can also continue applying the warm compress until the area is fully healed.
• Many people decide to pop their boils before it pops by itself. This can be done only by squeezing it with your fingers, instead of any instruments that can be unsterilized. Keep the burst boil clean, as once it burst, it becomes an open wound, which is prone to infection and can be recurrent when infested by bacteria.